


Harry's Best Year

by Faithless_3105



Series: Harry's Best Year [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Idiots in Love, Lots of wine, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, Post-War, Slow Burn, Wine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:27:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 39,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27990747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Faithless_3105/pseuds/Faithless_3105
Summary: Harry's year starts off with his love life and career at rock bottom, but that means things can only get better, right?Follow Harry through twelve months of trials and tribulations to end up with the job of his dreams and the love of his life.This work is written as a companion piece to The Twelve Month Budget by JaneAlpha and if you haven't read it before I strongly advise you do.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Severus Snape
Series: Harry's Best Year [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2070441
Comments: 93
Kudos: 226





	1. January

**Author's Note:**

  * For [JaneAlpha](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaneAlpha/gifts).
  * Inspired by [The Twelve Month Budget](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17387600) by [JaneAlpha](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaneAlpha/pseuds/JaneAlpha). 



January. 

It was Friday January 9th and Harry Potter was standing in the wine aisle of the wizarding supermarket in Diagon Alley wondering how his year could have turned out so shit when it had only just started. Granted last year had ended in spectacular fashion with pictures of his then boyfriend Oliver Wood snogging some other bloke outside a club while on tour, just what you want two weeks before Christmas. Looking back Harry could see that his relationship hadn't been going anywhere for some time before that but still, they'd been together for over two years at that point, surely Harry deserved better. Oliver apparently didn't agree as the arse didn't even have the decency to apologise as "the other guys get up to far worse while away". Harry had told him he didn't care what the other guys got up to and, as far as he was concerned, Oliver could now do whatever he wanted as they were through. He'd walked out with his head held high and as much dignity as he could muster: if he'd expected Oliver to come crawling back he'd have been sorely disappointed as he hadn't heard a thing from the keeper since. 

Harry had not been in many relationships before: just a non-starter with Ginny before he realised he was gay and Oliver, he didn't count the disaster that was Cho Chang, but from all the movies he'd watched he'd expected to have to carve the man out of his life only to realise Oliver had never really had a place in it. Sure the guy had gotten on well with Ron and George, often dropping off tickets for him since Ginny's spares got evenly distributed amongst the rest of the family meaning his best friend often missed out on matches he really wanted to see, but his relationship with Hermione was distant at best and he'd never been interested in spending time with Teddy. After walking out of the man's flat there was nothing; not even a box of stuff that he'd left that Harry would need to return as Oliver had rarely spent the night, complaining that he found Grimmauld Place creepy.

Harry had even brought a new flat. Not just because of Oliver, he'd not had the time to maintain the old Manor or been inclined to spend that much money on the place, but he'd hoped to encourage the guy to come round for more than a quickie. Harry hated going out to clubs for dates and much preferred the comfort and privacy of his own home and had hoped that Oliver might see that. Of course that would have required Oliver to pay attention to anything about his life which, in hindsight, should have been a clue that they were over long before 'the kiss incident' and that was probably why his heartbreak was more wounded pride than anything else. 

Harry was pretty sure Ron was actually more upset about the breakup than he was but it hadn't been fun to suddenly face Christmas on your own when you were surrounded by loved up couples, one or whom was planning their wedding. It also hadn't helped that the Daily Prophet seemed determined to track his heartbreak, even publishing an article detailing 'what went wrong'. 

Not that his love life, or lack thereof, was the source of his current problems. No, those could be summed up in two words: Violet Rosier. The woman was the head of the department in St Mungos where Harry had been working since qualifying as a healer and she seemed to hate Harry with a vengeance. It had been bad enough that Harry was The-Boy-Who-Lived, defeater of Voldemort, when working with a bunch of former Slytherins who all had death eaters in their families, but when Harry had been invited to a dinner party to welcome him to the department Harry had committed the heinous crime of showing up without a gift for the hostess. It wasn't his fault that Aunt Petunia had never had the sense or inclination to teach him such things as basic social etiquette but that had only cemented in the minds of his colleagues that he was a muggle raised oaf not fit to lick their boots let alone handle anything at work more challenging than removing a splinter without thorough supervision. 

Harry had tried to learn from his mistakes so the second time he got invited to a dinner party he brought a bottle of wine Hermione had introduced him to, which they frequently enjoyed when they got together for a bitch fest. If anything this had been even worse, Violet had accepted the bottle with a grimace and quickly stashed it away at the back of the cupboard. Someone had found it later on in the evening and Violet had been quick to point out it was the one Harry had brought lest people should question her taste. Harry had tried to stand up for himself saying he and his friend quite enjoyed it which only opened him up to further ridicule, with one of his colleagues questioning whether they should try switching his meal with dog food and seeing if he could tell the difference. 

Never one to back down from a challenge Harry had decided to take a leaf out of Hermione's book and do some research. Unfortunately Flourish and Blotts didn't have any books on wine appreciation so he'd been forced to scour the local muggle library. Harry had found all of the information a little overwhelming but felt confident with his pick for the next time he was invited. He didn't get the chance to even begin to explain what was so great about the wine, not that he really understood he was simply quoting the books, but his boss had taken one look at the bottle and, realising that it was muggle made, dropped it straight in the bin. Harry had had to grit his teeth for the rest of the evening lest he punch one of them in their smug faces. Oliver hadn't been any comfort when he'd tried to vent to him about his wasted effort as he should have known better saying "what kind of idiot takes muggle wine to a pureblood party."

Now he was going to have to run the gauntlet again and things were already going from bad to worse. Violet had invited him last week but Harry was just coming off a series of night shifts and this was the first opportunity he'd had to try and make a decent purchase; a mere 3 hours before the event. He refused to be the butt of everyone's jokes yet again but he was rapidly running out of time and he was sure everyone would know if he simply picked the most expensive. He needed help and looked up to see if he could find a sales assistant, in the vain hope that they knew slightly more about the subject than he did, when he caught sight of Severus Snape.

Harry had given the man his memories back after the war and the two of them had spent hours talking; about his mum, their shared experiences and what they might expect now that the war was over. They had started a tentative friendship and although they didn't speak on any sort of regular basis they did meet up from time to time. Or rather had until the year before when they had been spotted having coffee and the Daily Prophet had run a front page article about the two of them having a torrid affair. Harry had been shocked, he hadn't even realised Snape was gay, in fact he'd been sure the man had been in love with his mother. Not that it mattered as Oliver had been livid, forcing Harry to swear they would never see each other again. Slightly difficult when Kingsley Shacklebolt insisted on sitting them next to each other at ministry functions. Harry had tried not to engage the man in anything more than polite conversation or laugh too much at his jokes in the hopes that would appease his then boyfriend.

Not that Oliver could understand what a feat it was for Harry to rein in his enjoyment when Snape let his barbed tongue fly. Apparently Harry's appreciation and understanding of Snape's dry wit had improved with age and he'd found himself biting his own tongue on more than one occasion and the last function they'd attended together. The Prophet had run an article bemoaning how awful it must have been for Harry to spend the evening next to a former death eater and Harry had been on the verge of complaining about them when Oliver had popped round, mollified enough for a quickie before going off to training, and Harry had promptly forgotten all about setting the record straight. 

Now though, Harry was free and single and, looking at the man, he had to admit that while the Severus Snape could never be described as classically handsome, he was far from ugly. His features were striking and somehow fit his personality. His demeanour oozed class and sophistication and teamed with a quick mind and sharp wit the man was actually quite sexy. Harry had to admit he was interested and wondered if he might be able to get something out of this chance meeting. 

"Snape! It's been months! How are you?" Harry asked when he realised he had the man's attention. 

"The usual," he replied though Harry had to disagree. Snape's skin had lost its previous shallowness, likely from seeing more natural light now he was out of the dungeon. His hair was also less greasy than it used to be, possibly due from not having to spend all his time around poorly produced potions that had a habit of exploding. Harry also thought he saw less worry lines, in short the end of the war had clearly been good to the man, at least in his opinion. "And yourself? I heard on the wireless that you had an impressive first year at St Mungos."

Harry managed to bite back the groan. "Oh I don't know about that. Last week the Prophet printed a story saying my bedside manner was severely lacking." Apparently the reporters agreed with Violet that a recent break up was no excuse and it was unprofessional to bring his emotional baggage into work like that, as if somehow he could magically turn his emotions off when he walked into work like some sort of robot. Harry let out a little sigh. "I love the job though." He truly did, that was part of the reason why he was stuck in his current predicament regarding the elusive perfect bottle of wine. 

"Well I can't say that I'm surprised that Harry Potter is enjoying his job saving people's lives."

Harry grinned wondering how he had failed to pick up the man's teasing nature for so long. "I'm glad you're here actually," Harry said, hoping to use their friendship a little without giving away how dire his situation really was, "my boss is having a posh dinner party tonight and I thought I'd bring a bottle of wine but I've not a clue which one to go for. You're a wine man aren't you Snape?" Harry hoped he was remembering correctly as he was sure he'd heard the man complaining about the declining quality of the drink at the last ministry function.

"Indeed. I take it this is a networking event that you are looking to impress at?" 

"Well you know me, don't like much of a fuss but like to be on the good side of my boss so she gives me the interesting cases." Not a complete lie as there was a chance to go to Egypt to help out with an outbreak of dragon pox and, quite frankly, getting out of the country for a bit seemed like a perfect idea but Harry had little chance of getting going given his poor standing in the department. 

Snape quickly marched up the aisle and plucked a bottle off the shelf having barely had to look at it. "Here, it's an Elf made Chianti - I guarantee there won't be any complaints about that tonight."

Harry looked at where the rest of the stock was and saw the price. "Three galleons and three sickles!" It wasn't quite the most expensive bottle but it wasn't far off, certainly more than Harry usually spent on a bottle. Unfortunately he knew he had a lot of making up to do in his bosses eyes. "Ah, I better take two, don't want them thinking I'm cheap."

"I'm sure no one dares think that about the 'Golden Boy'." 

"You'd be surprised." Harry snorted with derision because heaven forbid the great Harry Potter can't stretch to a decent bottle of wine. The jokes about the state of his finances had started after the first disastrous dinner party and were only just abating.

Even with this short conversation Harry was feeling better than he had in the last month and asked the potions master if he wanted to get a drink, at least it would kill a bit of time until he had to go so he wouldn't be a nervous wreck. He hated formal events and tried to avoid them as much as possible. Unfortunately being an adult meant often doing things you didn't want to do like going to your bosses house to try and charm your way out of her bad books; emphasis on try.

Unfortunately for his nerves Snape was busy although they did make tentative plans to meet up the following week. At least leaving Oliver might end up good for something if he could get to know this intriguing man better and it wasn't like he actually had a chance at the job in Egypt so Harry bid Severus goodbye and went home to finish getting ready. He was surprised to find he still had a slight spring in his step when he rocked up to his bosses house. 

To say that his colleagues were surprised with his choice of wine would be an understatement although none of them had apparently tried this variety before which almost caused Harry to worry. Clarisse Tremblay was the first to voice her doubts over Harry's choice, she was his senior colleague and a firm favourite of Violet's, not surprising given that both women had suspected death eaters in their families but of course that wouldn't make them prejudiced towards the man who defeated Voldemort. As the head of the department Violet obviously had to be careful about how she treated Harry, always maintaining the veneer of impartiality, but Clarisse had far less restraints and Harry often found Violet conveniently being distracted or out of ear shot during some of the worst of Clarisse's hazing.

Today was apparently not going to be any exception to the norm when Clarisse decided to challenge him. "Are you really sure this stuff is palatable?" she sneered. 

"Of course, I bumped into a friend who recommended it to me."

"And do you trust this friend enough to wage your career on it?" Violet asked, clearly sensing an opportunity to screw with Harry. 

"Yes I do," Harry confirmed. After all he had previously trusted Snape with his life so surely his career was nothing in comparison.

"Ok Potter, here's the deal: if this wine is good enough to warrant opening the second bottle I'll let you take the job in Egypt instead of Clarisse but if it's as bad as I assume it is going to be you will work every weekend for the next two months without complaint, do you accept the terms?"

Harry agreed, it wasn't much of a risk as he would probably work most of them anyway, so everyone's glasses were filled so that they could all have a taste of it, in the name of fair play and obviously not as a way to further Harry's potential embarrassment.

Harry couldn't help the grin that spread across his face as the glasses were quickly emptied and one of the guests, Sylvester Fort, head of the potions department, grabbed the second bottle to get a better look at it. "Who did you say recommended this to you?" 

"I didn't," Harry replied, "but it was Severus Snape, I was lucky enough to bump into him at the supermarket." Harry was happy to be able to name drop the other potions master; he didn't know what it was about Fort but Harry thought the man was a pompous, overrated arse who couldn't hold a candle to the former professor in terms of the quality of the potions he produced.

Fort simply chucked. "I should have known, this was one of his favourites, he was probably treating himself on his birthday."

Harry hadn't known it was the man's birthday, in truth he realised he actually knew very little about the man outside of their exploits in the war and vowed to change that in the future. When he thought about it, however, he hadn't seen Snape grab a bottle for himself or seen one in the man's basket. Harry remembered from previous conversations that, post Hogwarts, Snape had set up his own potions business and talks with George had taught Harry there wasn't great security in starting your own business and despite the man's genius in potions, he likely couldn't justify this kind of extravagance. Harry vowed to treat his friend, after all it was his birthday and he had just gotten Harry a big career boost.

"I suppose I'd better let you go home and pack, Potter," Violet announced, "I'm a woman of my word and the portkey is set to activate at 9pm tonight." She handed Harry a small Egyptian cat statuette. "At least I now know you one suitable acquaintance so I expect nothing but a glowing report on your conduct out there, you are representing the entire hospital after all."

Harry accepted the portkey with his thanks and quickly said his goodbyes. He needed to make a quick stop by the supermarket on the way home, hopefully the wine would go someway to appease Snape now he was going to have to cancel on the man; with any luck they would be able to rearrange a meet up when Harry got back. The man had just got Harry an opportunity to prove himself that he would never have been able to get on his own so Harry wanted to thank him properly. The fact that Harry also wanted to get to know the enigmatic former professor better on a personal level was only further motivation.


	2. February

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So it's February which obviously means Valentines day except Harry and Severus aren't even dating right?

February.

Harry had been bed bound for an entire day on arrival in Cairo, despite taking his anti-sickness medication. He had never particularly liked magical means of travel but his trouble with it had only increased after the war to the point where he couldn't apparate without puking his guts up unless he timed his potions correctly, and even then it was no guarantee, which meant he was often limited to the public floo network and that could be a complete nightmare especially at peak times. Portkeys were even worse, especially if they were international, always leaving him completely debilitated for hours at least. This had caused a number of arguments with Oliver as Harry had always had trouble coming to see his games, not helped by the awkward shifts he often ended up working.

There had been one time at the start of their relationship that Harry had tried to attend. He'd been on an early so would have had plenty of time to travel, especially as Puddlemere were playing at home, except one of his colleagues had called in sick so Harry had had to work a double shift. It was rush hour by the time he finally got out and would never have been able to make it by flooing and so downed extra potions and apparated to the stadium, not wanting to let Oliver down. It hadn't worked, probably not helped by the fact that Harry was exhausted from working literally all day and had barely had time to eat anything so was basically running on fumes. He had spent the whole game stuck in the toilets throwing his guts up, not that he apparently missed much as Puddlemere had been trounced, earning Harry the title of bad luck charm and a ban from attending any games in the near future. Harry had tried to argue his case, they had been playing the Montrose Magpies so they had already expected to lose, which turned out to be the wrong thing to say to a bunch of superstitious quidditch players and caused Oliver to give him the silent treatment for 2 weeks.

So his 'disability' once again put him in a bad spot with his new colleagues questioning the wisdom of St Mungos sending a healer who couldn't even heal himself. Thankfully Harry had never been one to back down from a challenge; making sure he was always the first one on shift and the last one to finish, always being ready to cover shifts as it's not like he had much to do when he got back to the hotel other than researching possible improvements to treatment regimes. Suffice it to say that he was soon able to ingratiate himself to the Egyptian healers to the point of offering him a post at their hospital. Harry briefly considered it, it would possibly limit the amount the Prophet would follow him and comment on his every fucking twitch but he knew he would miss his friends too much. 

He was glad that he'd still been able to keep in touch with Ron and Hermione while he was away, especially Hermione who was starting to panic slightly with her and Ron's wedding less than five months away. Ginny was maid of honour but was frequently busy during the day training with the Harpies whereas Harry's awkward shifts often meant he was free when Hermione wanted to do things like check out venues or cake samples and had subsequently become her go-to-guy for all things wedding related. Harry didn't mind too much, he'd always wanted a big wedding himself but that, once again seemed like a distant dream so he resigned himself to living vicariously through his friends.

A couple of times he'd contemplated contacting Snape but didn't think that their relationship had grown to that level yet and he didn't want to scare the man off by coming on too strong too fast, especially if Severus was used to a more sedate pace. 

Now it was February and Harry was finally home and glad that he'd been able to get a day to recover before having to go in to report. He managed to pen a note to Snape between bouts of vomiting, asking about going round with takeaway on Saturday as he had somehow managed to get the weekend off. Snape sent a quick reply agreeing to Harry going over at 7pm on Saturday and Harry couldn't wipe the grin off his face. Demetrius, his owl, had seemed a little cranky when he returned but Harry assumed that was from having to fly halfway across the country and back after having been doing nothing in the past five weeks. Harry simply added a few extra treats to his food bowl and that seemed to appease him.

The next day Harry was using his break to figure out where the nearest floo stop to Snape's was when Clarisse Tremblay cornered him. 

"I hear you're the one that was lucky enough to get the weekend off, Potter. I'm assuming you haven't actually got any plans so how about we switch, that way you can just have next weekend off instead."

"Actually I do have plans, Tremblay, and they can't be postponed, so I'm sorry but I can't." 

"But it's Valentine's day, Potter! What could you possibly be doing that can't be postponed, it's not like you have a date or anything."

Harry took a deep breath to cover up the fact that he was freaking out a bit. He couldn't believe he hadn't thought to check the date when he arranged things with Snape! Not wanting to let on to his colleague, however, he decided to forget about it for now and panic later when he could call Hermione. "I do have a date, in fact, and he'll be very busy for the next couple of weeks so I apologise again but I'm not switching shifts." 

"But my boyfriend is going to propose! Surely your little date isn't more important than that!"

"Tremblay, if it was that important to you then you should have booked it as annual leave."

"But then it would seem planned when it's meant to be spontaneous."

"So spontaneous you know that it's happening the day before," Harry said sarcastically. "Look I said I'm sorry but i do have plans, it's not like I'm just saying no to spite you and I'm not actually under any obligation to switch so I'm sorry but I guess you'll have to figure out something else." Harry was sure there would be repercussions from this but there was no way he would risk cancelling on Snape again, especially as the man was likely aware of the date so it would look even worse if Harry were to rearrange it again. 

The rest of his shift passed in a bit of a blur, thankfully his main job was giving reports to various people about his assignment in Egypt, and he firecalled Hermione as soon as he got home.

"'Mione, I think I've got a date for Valentines!"

"What do you mean you think you have a date for Valentines? What have you gone and done now?"

"I arranged to go round to Snape's for take-out on Saturday not realising it was Valentines given that I was being violently sick. I just imagined it as a catch up between friends where we could maybe test the waters, see if we could be more, but now he'll probably think it's a date because it's the 14th and of course he's going to be aware of the date because he's not a complete idiot like me."

"But I thought you wanted to date him?" Hermione asked, having been Harry's sounding board while he was away and being completely behind the idea of Harry moving on.

"I do."

"Then what's the problem? So it's a bit more pressure than you were initially planning but I think that as long as you don't jump straight into bed with him you'll be fine."

"You mean like I did with Oliver?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Look, you know I'm not going to judge you for your past actions, and sure some couples start that way, but I don't think you're one of those people. Given you had not long realised you were actually gay it might not have been your best idea so maybe actually dating someone properly might be a good way to go. You never know you might actually enjoy it."

It was Harry's turn to roll his eyes."And what if I want to jump into bed with him?" Harry did find the man attractive after all. 

"Harry Potter, not everything is about what you want. Professor Snape has always come across as a very traditional sort of person so I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't even kiss you on Saturday which is why I think he's a great choice for you to get over your twat of an ex."

Harry couldn't help but smile as it was still rare for Hermione to swear, proof of how much she disliked the quidditch player at the moment.

"It's good to see you smiling again Harry, we were all starting to get a bit worried."

"Thanks 'Mione, its nice to have something to look forward to though I am freaking out about this a bit, I don't want to fuck it up before I even start."

Hermione's smile could only be described as indulgent as she promised to come over and help Harry pick out the perfect outfit. A couple of glasses of wine later, after all Harry had to introduce Hermione to the bottle that started it all, and Harry went to bed relaxed and happy and very much looking forward to his date. 

Harry took plenty of time on his appearance the next day, opting to iron his white shirt as he had never been great when it came to decreasing charms. He even went for the dark blue jeans that Hermione had insisted he wear. Harry personally thought his tight black ones made his arse look better but Hermione had been right when she pointed out he was supposed to be aiming for a nice quiet date not inviting the man to jump his bones to which Harry could only concede to her experience in these matters. She also told him to wear his green scarf with his coat as apparently it brought out his eyes. Harry questioned her logic as it wasn't even that cold out which caused Hermione to question if he was sure he was gay as he barely any more fashion sense than Ron though he had to agree the outfit did look better with it on. 

He tried to get his hair into some semblance of style, a pointless endeavour and one that caused him to run late despite Hermione's meticulous planning. They hadn't been able to find any reputable Chinese takeaways in Cokeworth so Harry was forced to buy it in London and drag it through the floo along with the wine. Thankfully Hermione had drilled him on spells to make sure both the food and Harry made it through in one piece. Harry had already become well acquainted with the best takeaway in London but hadn't factored in that the place might actually be busy, didn't these people have better things to do than buying Chinese when it was Saturday and Valentines day! Harry couldn't help but feel his nerves steadily grow as he was stuck in a never ending queue and hoped that he could keep calm enough that he wouldn't trigger his travel sickness and end up throwing up all over his date. 

"Hi," Harry greeted Snape with a smile as the man opened the door, "Chinese and wine."

Unfortunately his nerves took over as he entered and Harry couldn't seem to stop himself from babbling, as if Snape would care about the line at the Chinese its not like Harry was even late. He could swear the man was developing a tick due to sheer annoyance and Harry desperately tried to think of something he could rectify the situation before he found himself thrown out on his arse. Damn but this dating thing was hard. 

"I'll help," Harry said, coming to stand next to the man instead of sitting down as requested. "Where are your glasses? I'll pour drinks, I think that you can trust me to do that at least." Snape pointed to a cupboard and continued to dish out the food but Harry thought he saw a brief smile flash on the man's face.

He knew he'd managed to salvage the situation when they were sat at the dinner table and Snape asked him about his secondment to Egypt and Harry let himself relax as the conversation flowed easily. Harry even got to show off a little of the potions knowledge he'd acquired over his training which seemed to impress the man though Snape would never openly admit it.

He felt a little weird when Snape tried to offer him money for the takeout and quickly reminded him that this meal was in thanks for his help although he did begin to wonder how traditional the man was if he felt the need to split the costs.

"I only recommended the wine, Potter," he groused, taking the armchair in the living room whilst finishing another glass of the very same brand.

"Ah yes, but what you didn't know was my boss thought I was an uncultured oaf and refused to give me any responsibility as she thought I would make the department look bad." Harry had to laugh at himself for giving the understatement of the century. "Of course she's right, I am an uncultured oaf," a fact that had been brought to his attention frequently since becoming an 'adult', "but what she didn't realise is during a dragon-pox outbreak don't really give a stuff about how bloomin cultured I am they really just care about my skills with healing spells. Hence the glowing report full of praise which has resulted in much more respect from my boss - all that from a bottle of wine." It might be stretching it to say that Violet Rosier had warmed to him but Harry was aware he had impressed her boss which meant that Violet essentially had to be nice to him for a while at least and Harry fully intended to take advantage of that.

"You mean to tell me you aren't carving a career out on your name alone?" Snape asked.

Harry knew the man was joking but it cut too close to some of the jibes and Daily Prophet articles from the last year. He tried to laugh to let the man know he didn't take offence but he knew it came out bitter but hoped that Snape would get the message. To let him know how much good his 'name' was currently getting him he told Snape his bosses name knowing the man would understand his current position. "While she had no connection to the death eaters…"

"She's a pureblood sympathiser," Snape continued, "I remember her from school though I wouldn't have thought she would end up in a position of power." There was a bitterness to his voice and Harry was reminded how much he sometimes had to fight for his friend despite his many sacrifices, all because of some stupid mark on his arm, and fully understood where he was coming from.

"Well she's never actually been a death eater, she's not marked anyway, and there was a bit of a healer shortage after the war." Another understatement and Harry was one of the people suffering the after effects. People who, before the war, would have barely passed their exams and might not have been offered a job in the hospital were now heading up departments and because they had 'stepped up' when there had been no other options people felt indebted to them and overlooked incompetence that no one else would get away with. Harry knew several recent graduates who were essentially running their departments and getting no credit for it. A large number of healers had taken early retirement after having had to deal with the horrors of war which was understandable but left a large void that had needed filling. Harry sighed. "Anyway she's harmless enough, just stuck in her pureblood ways I suppose." Harry could certainly have it worse and could endure a few extra weekends of night shift in exchange for having a boss that was prejudiced but competent; he much preferred that to the alternative.

"As a half blood you have to work twice as hard to impress," Snape suggested. 

"Yes there does seem to be a bit of favouritism," just as Voldemort was a bit evil, "but I like a challenge - most of the time. Plus who knew something as simple as wine would sway her."

"She always was a fickle creature," Snape stated.

Harry desperately wanted to change the subject before the wine dulled his senses and he ended up venting as even he knew that was not good date etiquette. He nearly smacked himself when he realised how long they'd essentially been talking about him; wasn't it part of his plan to get to know the man better. "And your potions business?"

"As well as can be expected," which felt like a bit of a brush off to him.

"Don't be underselling yourself now will you, Professor, most healers I know would sell a kidney to work with potions of your standard." Harry counted himself top of the list. He hated feeling like he was short changing people every time he administered something from St Mungos stock.

"Ah but Mungos won't pay for my potions." 

"I wish they would." It was a sad state of affairs when even he could tell how poor the potion was just by looking at it. He could swear he spent half his time worrying that he might end up poisoning his patients. Mustn't rant, he reminded himself, that's for tomorrow when he met Hermione to visit the bloody flower market Harry thought, biting back a groan. "Speaking of potions you don't happen to have any hangover potions leftover for tomorrow do you?" Harry always got an awful hangover off red wine if he couldn't sleep it off properly, something that wasn't going to be possible even though it wasn't that late, made worse that he'd have to apparate home unless he wanted Snape to ask unwanted questions.

Hermione was going to be getting to his place for 5 which meant that he would probably have to get up around 4 to be able to drink enough coffee to turn him into something that even resembled a functioning human being. He'd tried to beg off but Ginny had a match today and Ron wouldn't leave his bed before 8 on a Sunday even if the building was on fire which left it to Harry to step up yet again. Hermione had joked that it was insurance to make sure he didn't end up thinking with his dick; apparently Oliver had been a bad influence on him if he thought he couldn't have a relationship without sex. 

Unfortunately, now that he'd remembered about meeting Hermione in the morning, he was very conscious of the time and couldn't seem to relax anymore, which was a shame as he'd been thoroughly enjoying himself up to that point. He broached the idea of a second date and Snape agreed, no Severus, they were dating now, right? But still he was glad that he hadn't messed up although there was still time for that.

To kiss or not to kiss? He stepped up to the other man, trying to read his body language to see which would be the right move. He couldn't see any signs so settled for squeezing his shoulder, figuring it was better to err on the side of caution. "Happy Valentine's Day, Severus," and with that he apparated home.

Surprisingly the trip to the flower market hadn't been that bad, likely due to the effectiveness of Severus's hangover cure meaning that Harry was completely fine, other than being ridiculously tired, despite having basically drank a bottle of wine the night before. He still grumbled and dragged his feet, however, 5am was still 5am even if he didn't have a hangover, and Hermione eventually relented and bought him a bacon bap in return for details of his date. Harry told her how much he'd enjoyed the evening, talking to someone about his work, who understood and could even offer insights, had been stimulating in a way he'd never experienced before. He did moan about the lack of physical affection but Hermione reminded him that Severus was more traditional and that there were lots of people who thought that you shouldn't kiss until the third date.

"Timing your first kiss should be important," Hermione said, "it's about confirming whether you have chemistry and shouldn't be rushed."

This was still quite new for Harry and he wondered if it was putting too much pressure on things. It didn't help that Severus had been entirely hands off during the date. "How do I know that we have chemistry if we don't even kiss?" 

"Oh please, Harry, there's far more to a relationship than sex. Maybe try reading a romance novel like Pride and Prejudice, in those days you didn't even touch unless you were wearing gloves and yet that is still considered as one of the greatest romance stories even 200 years later. Look, at the end of the day if you guys have that spark you'll know and if you don't you won't have lost your friendship by rushing things."

Harry saw the logic in her argument: he definitely didn't want to lose Snape's friendship, especially if he could get more of those miraculous hangover potions. He contemplated asking him for a supply of Anti-nausea potions but didn't want Snape to think that he only wanted him for his skills, especially as he had a feeling Snape wouldn't accept any money from him. Hopefully they would be able to arrange a second date soon to see if there really was a spark between them.


	3. March

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> March, and Harry's Gryffindor tenancies almost get him in trouble.

March.

Harry knew there would be repercussions from his refusal to switch shifts with Clarisse and the next week he suddenly found himself on the most bizarre pattern of shifts imaginable. There had apparently been some mix up and two people, one of whom happened to be Tremblay, had been booked on leave at the same time meaning that shifts had to be altered to cover the loss and Harry was unable to find time to arrange a proper date with Snape. Thankfully the man was flexible, one of the joys of being self employed, and agreed to meet Harry on his lunch break.

There was a nice muggle run cafe around the corner from the hospital, one of those quirky independent ones that actually sold decent cakes which didn't even cost a fortune. The only problem was that it was very popular among the hospital staff and some patients which meant that anonymity was pretty much out the window and Harry could expect to make the front page of the Prophet tomorrow. Thankfully it shouldn't be anything new to the man, having made the front page alongside Harry a few times over the years, so at least Harry didn't have to worry about him running for the hills due to the unwanted attention.

Harry had to rush down as he almost ended up running late. They had just got a case of Spattergoit come in which meant that Harry had to go through decontamination protocols which were necessary but a pain in the backside and immensely time consuming. Thankfully he knew better than to blab on about nearly being late again.

Harry hadn't been surprised when Severus, they were dating after all, insisted on paying, knowing the man had his pride and wouldn't want to feel indebted to him. They'd gotten into an in depth discussion about the possible treatment of Spattergoit and whether there was any possible truth to the old methods. Severus had suggested that the high levels of retinol, vitamin A, in the toad liver and eel eyes may have been the reason why the old method had seemed to help relieve symptoms of the disease as the same treatment had been used by muggles in conjunction with measles. Suffice it to say Harry bought some cod liver oil the next day and saw an improvement in the blemishes overnight. The patient was soon recovered enough to be discharged to home care and Harry felt the need to message Severus to thank him for the advice and keep him updated. He considered asking for another date but Hermione had warned him off of coming on too strong, the man obviously preferred a slow courtship and Harry had to admit he didn't hate it. It was nice spending the time to truly get to know the man.

Unfortunately work hadn't let up any over the next couple of weeks and they were now into March with Harry having his first chance in what felt like forever to actually get some shopping done in Diagon Alley. He wasn't even supposed to be off now but he'd got into a flaming row with Fort over the quality of the potions the man was producing. Harry had had to send some poor girl home with permanent scars after administering a simple cure for boils. It was something that had never occurred in all his days at Hogwarts, despite all the pranks and exploding cauldrons, and he had accused the head of potions of purposely poisoning his patients. He may have also name-dropped Severus at which Fort had merely laughed and said he was intimately aware of how good Severus's potions were as they had been partners for a number of years. Harry was about a second away from smacking the man in his pompous face when Violet had told him to leave and she hoped that he would have calmed down by tomorrow.

So now he was faced with a free afternoon and was wondering if it would be presumptuous of him to ask Severus out for coffee when he caught sight of the man in Slug and Jiggers. 

"Hi," he greeted , having entered the shop, "new knife?" Severus had been holding a very ornate blade and even Harry was aware that it would be an extravagance.

"A bit elaborate for what I need it for," Severus replied, putting it back on the shelf. 

Just a dream then, Harry thought, stroking the hilt. "Maybe elaborate but still very beautiful" he said wondering what Severus would think if Harry bought it for him. Harry had often bought expensive gifts for Oliver and thought nothing of it but he had a feeling that the man wouldn't be happy if he felt he couldn't reciprocate.

"Mr. Snape, your order is ready," a voice called from the counter and Harry instantly felt his blood boil, not helped by the fact that he hadn't completely gotten over the Fort incident.

"I'll just be a moment," Severus said but Harry was too busy trying to rein in his temper to pay too much attention.

"Proust." Jeremy Proust was a jumped up little shit who had taken great pleasure in flirting with Oliver right in front of Harry's face whenever they were at the club. He didn't know if the git had ever actually done anything with his ex while he was with Oliver but as far as Harry was concerned it took a serious kind of asshole to act that way in front of someone's partner.

"Potter," was the man's reply, sounding slightly smug to Harry's ears. "That's 15 galleons, ten sickles and 17 knuts Snape."

Harry knew it probably wasn't the best thing to do but he couldn't pass up the opportunity to give the twat some hell. "Professor Snape, don't you mean, Proust? And a please wouldn't go amiss either." Harry could feel Snape glare boring into the side of his head but he didn't see the point of backing down now: in for a knut, in for a galleon. "Also I saw Professor Slughorn the other day, singing your praises, something about discount for all Potions Masters who shop here? Said you gave him double for being his favourite old Professor."

Proust sputtered, clearly annoyed at being caught out. He tried pointing to the scroll on the wall, "it's at owners discretion whether the discount is applied, it says it right there."

"You look like neither Slug nor Jiggers, Jeremy," the boy hadn't even been able to get himself an apprenticeship and was stuck working as a mere sales assistant and Harry had it on good authority that he wasn't likely to get any better offers any time soon, regardless of how much he tried to suck up to the other Masters. "Maybe we should call them? Tell them healer Potter would like a word about their discriminative behaviour towards war heroes?" and maybe let them know about Proust double application of discount as Harry was pretty sure the extra wasn't coming out of Proust's own pocket.

Harry almost laughed when Proust tried staring him down: if he hadn't blinked at Voldemort he definitely wasn't going to with this twat, especially when he knew he was in the right. "13 galleons, 12 sickles and 3 knuts then… Professor Snape." There wasn't a please in there but Harry would accept the boy's defeat for now. He was so busy trying not to gloat that he almost missed Severus diving out of the door. He let Proust know that he would still be having words with the proprietors before chasing after the man to try and explain his behaviour.

"Proust's a jumped up shit," Harry tried by way of explanation but could tell by the way Severus was holding himself that he was going to need more. "I'm sick of people treating you like a second rate citizen despite all of the sacrifices you made for them." Harry was aware Proust wouldn't be the only person to treat the man that way even though Harry knew he'd never have been able to defeat Voldemort without him.

"Do you think I'm bothered by the damn Potion Masters discount?" Severus hissed.

"You're entitled to it. If Professor Slughorn gets it after he was the one who told Tom Riddle about the horcruxes and faked his own death to avoid the war I'm damn sure you should get it." Damn the man's pride! 

"I'm not bothered enough about it to cause a blasted scene. People already have a low enough opinion as it is." And maybe that was the crux of the problem. Harry should have known that Proust represented the norm and not the exception and poor Severus would be reliant on people's good opinion if he wanted anyone to know about his business. Harry had to wonder how often the man had had to hold his tongue for fear that someone would turn around and bad mouth his work.

Harry blinked and the man was gone. Not wanting to leave things on such a negative note and knowing he probably only had a small window to make things right he cast a quick anti-nausea charm on himself and apparated to Severus's house and hoped he could catch the man before he shut the door. 

The dizziness hit as soon as he landed but he grabbed Severus's arm, for balance and to stop the man from entering the house before Harry could apologise. "I'm sorry I didn't think." Severus paused so Harry plowed ahead. "I just get so angry when people behave that way towards you. His smarmy face. Don't you just want to hit him?" Harry thought it was probably best not to mention anything to do with Oliver unless he wanted to risk Severus thinking he wasn't over the man.

"I just want a quiet life."

"I know you do." Defeat was written in every line of the man's posture and Harry had felt worse than ever. How could he even call himself a friend and let this man suffer as he so clearly was. "I didn't handle it very well did I? And it will probably make the Prophet too." Harry winced at the thought of what his little grudge could cost Severus, especially if Proust decided to be petty and bring up the whole jealousy thing. "Let me make it up to you? I'll buy you dinner, we'll go somewhere muggle…" 

That's where his thoughts stopped as the dizziness that he'd been fighting back overwhelmed him.

Somehow Severus managed to catch him and manoeuvre him into the house while Harry fought not to bring up his lunch all over the man's shoes. He could just about make out Severus's anxious question over the sound of blood roaring in his ears.

"Apparition sickness," he managed to grind out. He soon felt his head tipped back as a potion was poured down his throat and the nauseated feeling instantly vanished although he still felt very weak as Severus manhandled him to the sofa.

Harry stayed on the sofa where he was told and tried not to wallow in self pity. He was pretty sure he'd ruined his chances with Severus now; not only had he shown himself to be an immature self-centered twat but now Severus knew about his weakness. Why in God's name would he want to associate with Harry and all his baggage now. He mentally and physically pulled himself together as Severus re-entered the room and hoped that he would be able to salvage something from this mess.

"I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry for?"

"All of it. Proust. Forcing my Gryffindor tenancies on you. Following you home. Fainting on you." Possibly causing you to be blacklisted from the apothecary and costing you your livelihood, Harry added in his head. He didn't know what he would do if Severus lost his business because of his stupidity, especially as Severus would probably not come to Harry for help. He would contact Slug and Jiggers as soon as he could to try and get things sorted before the Prophet blew everything out of proportion.

"What sort of healer, who apparently suffers from severe Apparition Sickness, doesn't have an Anti-nausea potion on them?" 

Harry was shocked but took that as Severus speak for 'you're forgiven let's never speak of this again' and could hardly believe his luck. "To be fair I really didn't expect to be apparating such a long distance today plus I did cast an Anti-nausea charm before apparating - it just wore off quicker than I expected." He didn't want to admit that he was rubbish at those charms at the best of times but especially not when he was rushing which is why he ended up flooing everywhere as the potions he got from the apothecary barely took the edge off.

"You suffer with it that badly?" Severus seemed more curious than appalled so Harry thought he might as well let him know the worst of it. 

"Yes, I can just about get away with flooing without any charms but if you think that Apparition Sickness is bad you should see my Portkey Sickness. I was in bed for a full day when I arrived in Egypt in January and then another when I got home." The constantly rolling stomach was the worst, at least when he vomited he got a few moments relief. If this was what pregnant women had to deal with they had his sympathy.

"A day? With potions?" Severus asked and Harry nodded, pulling out his map of the public floo network, complete with annotations of important stops. "Curious." 

"Anyway; before all the dramatics I was begging you to let me take you out for tea by way of an apology. I think all the drinks are on me now too as a thank you for seeing me right." He really did want to be able to keep seeing the man and crossed his fingers that he wasn't about to get kicked out on his arse.

"I think you'll find the drinks were always on you."

Harry couldn't help the grin that spread over his face. If all it was going to cost him was dinner then maybe he hadn't messed up as much as he thought. "You know anywhere good?" he asked, well aware that Severus could say the Ritz and he would agree. 

"I know there's a pub round the corner that serves food. I haven't eaten there myself for a number of years so I can't comment on the quality." Trust Severus to pick somewhere he could probably afford himself as opposed to pushing Harry's limits. The man then pointed his wand at the fireplace. "I've opened the floo to you. See that you use it in future instead of apparating."

"I should have told you in the first place shouldn't I?" Severus simply rolled his eyes and left the room.

Harry nearly kicked himself. He should have known he could trust Severus Snape of all people with his problem: the man had seen Harry at his worst already after all and had still given him a chance. If Harry wanted a serious relationship with the man then he should just be honest about things, wasn't that what Hermione was always telling him was the key to a good relationship. It had got Harry access to the man's fireplace and Harry would be surprised if there were even half a dozen people with that given Severus's secretive nature.

He was still on a high when Severus walked back into the room and Harry felt his jaw drop at the sight. "I don't think I'll ever get used to you in muggle clothes." It was only a simple white shirt paired with some black trousers but it showed off the man's strong shoulders and trim waist to a tee. The longer length coat simply emphasised this and suited his tall stature. The only thing missing was a splash of colour Harry thought as he fished out the scarf that was still stuffed in his coat pocket. "As I thought," he said, wrapping the scarf around Severus shoulders, "makes you look distinguished."

A wave of dizziness hit and Harry felt himself pitching forward only to get caught in a pair of strong arms. The dizziness lifted almost immediately but Harry couldn't bring himself to move away. He made some sort of affirming noise when Severus asked him but his mind was too focused on the warm hands around his waist to pay much attention to what was actually said. He opened his eyes and found himself practically kissing the man. Before he could press forward, however, Severus cleared his throat and pulled away and Harry took that to mean that the man wasn't ready to take that step yet: more's the pity. At least Harry now understood what Hermione meant by the 'spark'; he hadn't missed the flash of desire in Severus's dark eyes despite the man backing off. At least Harry knew where he stood now and would just have to play the long game although he had a feeling it would be worth the wait. 

The pub had been average but the company was anything but and Harry found himself conversing with the man for hours, a seemingly endless series of topics meaning that, before Harry realised it, it was near midnight and he knew he had to go home. Still feeling happy that he had access to the man's floo he was just about to leave when he realised it was their third date. He understood that Severus hadn't wanted a proper kiss earlier but was loath to leave without doing something so, in a spur of the moment decision, Harry span round and placed a quick kiss on the man's cheek before diving into the floo, on the off chance he'd just thoroughly pissed Severus off.

When he got home he remembered to write to Masters Slug and Jiggers hoping to prevent Severus from facing any repercussions due to Harry's rash behaviour. He tried to keep his recounting of events as neutral as possible when describing what he knew of Proust's conduct but he couldn't help but become a bit impassioned when coming to Severus's defence, bringing up a bit about the man's illustrious career as well as reminder of the man's role in the war. He finished it off with a note that he hoped Severus wouldn't face any repercussions from Harry's behaviour. He also made a copy that he sent to the Prophet hoping that if they had an account from the proverbial horse's mouth then they might be less inclined to their usual sensationalist tendencies.

Harry was surprised when he came home the next day to find an owl from Severus. Apparently he'd been to Diagon Alley again and had good news from Jiggers himself, as well as some extra business from the article the Prophet, all in all good enough news to prompt him to invite Harry out the following Saturday. Unfortunately Harry was working the weekend AGAIN. He had never been more grateful that Severus was self employed and would hopefully be ok to have dinner on the Monday instead, preferably with takeout instead as Harry wouldn't have the energy to face a date in the wizarding world after working five days in a row.

Severus's reply came back quickly with the affirmation and Harry felt he could now face what would have been a grueling week at work with a big smile on his face.


	4. April

April. 

It didn't take long for Harry and Severus to fall into a routine, managing to go on a date at least once a week, either getting takeout at Spinner End or going somewhere quiet which was perfect for Harry as he'd never liked crowds. They had ended up splitting the bill after Harry had forgotten that it was Severus's turn to pay and almost caused an argument. They'd also started firecalling more which was handy for Harry as Hermione had started comendering Demitrius for her seemingly endless to-do list. It also seemed to have an added bonus; that if they ended up talking for longer than normal, Severus would invite him through for coffee. The first time it happened he thought it was a fluke, the second had him curious so one day when Severus called Harry purposely extended the conversation making the most of the fact that he'd just got home from work and didn't have to rush off anywhere. True to form Severus invited him through, though Harry must have looked as tired as he felt as the man instantly herded him to the sofa and offered to make him dinner, only reheated but Harry was not going to complain. 

In fact the cottage pie had been sublime and Harry made a point of passing his compliments to the chef and made a plan in his head to finally get his place up together so he could return the favour. Hermione would be happy about that as she now refused to come round as "it isn't safe to drink in a building site". The evening at Severus's had been lovely but Harry was unfortunately shattered and, not helped by the bottle of wine they shared, nearly fell asleep on the sofa. Severus roused him and pushed him to the floo but not before bidding him goodnight as they kissed each others' cheeks, as was now the norm.

Harry was glad he had nothing planned for the next day as he could actually sleep in for once and still had a chance to really crack on with getting his flat sorted before having to get ready to head to Severus's for their date, picking up an extra bottle if wine from the stock he was accruing on the off chance that he was going to see Severus and flooed to the Goat and Lamb feeling it would be more polite to knock on the man's door than tumble out in the middle of his living room. 

Severus seemed mildly surprised to see Harry but the expression passed in a flash and he was ushered in. They shared an indian while drinking the two bottles that Harry had brought and before Harry realised it, it was 3am and he was a little tipsy. He apologised for keeping Severus up but the man only brushed him off saying that if he wanted Harry gone he'd have "shipped him home hours ago". Harry felt himself wobble as he laughed and grabbed onto Severus, half to maintain his balance and half as an excuse to hold Severus close again. He was ready to use his drunkenness as an excuse when Severus's arm came round his waist. Taking that as permission, Harry placed a lingering kiss on the man's cheek; still innocent but somehow more intimate than anything he'd experienced before.

The moment didn't last long before Severus stepped back and shuffled Harry to the fireplace, placing an Anti-nausea and hangover potion in his pocket. Harry thanked him as a bubble of warmth bubbled up in his chest. It had been a long time since someone had worried about him like that, most people saw him as the savior of the wizarding world and thus more than capable of looking after himself. It's not like Harry was weak but it was nice to think there was someone out there who worried about his well-being. He'd always imagined having a relationship like Mr and Mrs Weasley, always conscious of their partner and trying to do things to make the other happy. Harry didn't know what it was but he had a feeling he could have something like that with Severus; he'd just have to make sure he didn't mess things up.

The late night didn't bother Harry as, unsurprisingly, he'd been put on nights again. It meant he was unavailable to help with wedding stuff but it did free him up to do more at home and after two days he'd finally got it to a stage where he wasn't embarrassed for Severus to see it and quickly fire-called the man before work to arrange a date. Harry was working that weekend again, again big surprise, but thankfully Severus agreed to come round the next day, Harry's day off. He'd seemed a little shocked when Harry said he was cooking but Harry had enough confidence in his skills in the kitchen to know that the food would at least be edible although he wasn't sure if Severus would be as discerning with food as he was with potions.

Harry was a little nervous when he greeted his guest: somehow it felt like he was opening himself up to the man, almost waiting to be judged, and he really didn't want to be found wanting. When Severus asked if he should take off his shoes, probably noticing that Harry didn't wear any thanks to a childhood of indoctrination, Harry just laughed and said that was what cleaning charms were for even though he'd never actually gotten the hang of them and, in fact, had a Roomba on charge under the stairs. Harry gave Severus the guided tour of the place and the man seemed impressed enough until he spotted a box of books on the floor.

"You're still unpacking?"

Harry could only snort at that: between wedding stuff and crazy work schedules he barely had a moment to himself. He didn't count seeing Severus in that as that was what he did for himself, it was currently his way to relax and he wouldn't miss it for the world. "You should see next door. It's just full of boxes. Grimmauld Place had so much crap in it. I didn't really have time to sort through it all before I moved so I just got Kreacher to pack to pack in boxes to sort out here."

"Do you still have him? Kreacher?"

"I do. He was pretty upset at me for selling up but that place was a full time job in itself plus it was making me seriously depressed living in that horrible house. I've sent Kreacher to Hogwarts for the time being but I don't know how long McGonagall's going to let him stay for. He's causing a bit of a nuisance… grieving for his home probably." Harry got distracted as he tentatively opened the next door that led to his bedroom. He hoped that Severus wouldn't think that he was implying anything though the thought crossed the man's mind if the fetching blush on his cheeks was anything to go by. He still gave the room a cursory look though he did happen to fixate on the one thing that caused Harry embarrassment: his garden.

"I don't like to talk about it," Harry said, "I hate gardening. I don't even know where to start with it." Despite all the hours that he was forced to do gardening at the Dursleys the skill illuded him. Apparently admitting his weakness was the right move again as Severus offered to come round and help him with it. Harry certainly couldn't be upset to have another excuse to spend time with the man and continued the tour with a slight spring in his step.

"It's a nice house," Severus said, once Harry had finished showing him the main living area downstairs. It was a split property, the other half being owned by a couple who worked at the ministry, and while the layout had freaked Harry out a bit at first he soon found that being able to floo across the hall from his bedroom was far more preferable than trying to climb sawflights of stairs after a long night shift.

Harry thanked him and motioned for him to sit on the sofa while he poured them wine. "It needs a lot more work to get it the way I want it but it's nice enough for now. I don't want to have to move again anytime soon, it's been pretty frustrating."

"Yes I can imagine. Sorting out Grimmauld Place would have been a task, I think you made the right choice to move."

Harry smiled at him gratefully. "I appreciate you saying that. I've had so many doubts about it. It felt a little like selling Sirius's memory but then I realised that he never liked the damn place anyway." Harry knew he had a habit of being overly emotional and second guessing himself so it was nice to hear Severus telling him that he'd made the right decision.

He must have been looking a little sorry for himself as Severus seemed to think he needed comforting as he reached over and gave Harry's thigh a squeeze. The sudden intimacy was surprising as it had mostly been Harry initiating acts although what wasn't surprising was the spike of desire Harry felt given how close Severus's hand was to his crotch. Harry laced their fingers together and gave Severus's hand a squeeze as he took a deep breath to try and calm himself down. "I've got to finish the food," Harry said, getting up and heading to the kitchen to finish the curry and put some distance between them before he ended up jumping the man. Things were going too well for Harry to ruin things like that.

Conversation between them flowed freely as usual, Severus was even able to complement Harry's cooking although managed to get a dig in at Harry's potions making abilities. Harry laughed and blamed Voldemort for his abysmal performance in the subject although he was now wondering if it was Severus himself that caused Harry to have issues in his lessons and Harry's teenage mind not being able to handle his attraction to the man.

They'd moved to the sofa and were just starting on their second bottle of wine when Harry heard a thud upstairs and started panicking. He'd come home from work the other day to find Oliver Wood in his house demanding to know where Harry had been all night. The quidditch player had suddenly gotten back in touch with Harry when articles about him and Severus had appeared in the Prophet and didn't seem to be getting the message that Harry wasn't interested no matter how many times Harry told him.

Harry had completely forgotten that he'd keyed Oliver into his floo before they broke up. At first he thought that maybe Oliver might actually see his mistake and apologise for his actions but by the time he realised that wouldn't happen life had and Harry had completely forgotten to remove him, something he was deeply regretting at that point as the man seemed to be in no hurry to leave. Thankfully Hermione had flooed through at that point to talk about an issue with the stag do and was able to get Oliver to leave by promising to persuade Harry to see sense without having to resort to force.

Harry had obviously immediately adjusted the floo but was still a bit paranoid that Oliver would find a way through. He apologised to Severus for the interpretation and breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Ron's voice though panic was quickly replaced by annoyance as he'd definitely told Ron he was having Severus over tonight as it was his only night off this week. Ron obviously remembered as soon as he saw the man and apologised.

"Don't worry, my fault for not locking the floo after Severus arrived." It was what Hermione had told him to do after the Oliver incident but he hadn't quite picked up the habit yet. Ron probably assumed that it was fine to come over since the floo was open. Harry could only hope Severus wasn't too annoyed: Harry knew Ron wasn't among Severus's favourite people and wouldn't want to force Severus to interact with him if he didn't want to, at least not this early into their relationship.

To say Harry was floored when Severus greeted Ron would be an understatement.

"No need to be so formal, Ron will do. Have you told him about the potions yet?"

"Not yet. Why don't you ask him while you're here? Why are you here anyway?"

Ron ignored Harry's question in favor of explaining his situation to Severus which Harry could only assume meant that he was here to discuss the Oliver situation. "As you probably know me and Hermione are getting married next month. Well next week is my stag do… Harry booked this VIP area in the best club in London but when I agreed to the date I forgot that we had booked the wedding rehearsal for the following day. It's in this muggle church where Hermione grew up and she says there's absolutely no way we can turn up with hangovers and of course most of the lads on the stag need to be at the bloody rehearsal. Anyway Harry mentioned you make the BEST hangover potion so I wondered if you could make a batch for us… Harry's going to do little gift bags or something aren't you mate."

Harry couldn't help rolling his eyes. "I wouldn't say they were gift bags Ron. I was going to give everyone a shot at the start of the night and a hangover potion at the end of the night." He turned to Severus. "What do you think? We'd pay full price of course I'm not expecting any favours." This was the man's livelihood after all and Harry would never want to risk putting strain on their relationship just for the sake of a couple of galleons.

"How many do you need?" Severus asked and Harry could see the relief on Ron's face.

"We need 18." 

"17!" Ron interjected, "I uninvited Oliver."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't been looking forward to seeing the man again but hadn't wanted to dictate to Ron who he could and couldn't invite.

Harry was distracted from his musings by Severus's quote. "It'll be 15 galleons for 17 - would you like them sent here."

Ron was ecstatic but Harry was suspicious: he might not remember the exact price the apothecary charged but he sure it was nearly double that and the quality of Severus's would be miles better. Deciding to have a word with the man later, Harry escorted Ron back to the floo.

"Hermione told me what happened and I had a word with Kingsley, as I knew he'd be discrete, but it looks like there's not much you can do about Oliver since it doesn't class as breaking and entering if he's keyed into your floo and you left it open," Ron said, as he made his way to the fireplace. 

"Thanks mate, I'm sure it'll be fine now."

"Alright, though Kingsley did say to let him know if anything else happens. We haven't got anything like those muggle restraining orders but there is a way you can stop his owls from coming so you don't have to worry about that at least."

"Cheers Ron, that'll definitely help. Made you change your tune about Oliver though?" 

"You mean other than the guy weirdly coming into your house uninvited? Well Hermione may have suggested something about her having a kiss with an old boyfriend if it was nothing. I shrugged it off at first but then we went out in her old town and she started flirting with this guy and I saw red. She didn't actually kiss him but the thought was enough to make me realise how much it would hurt. Plus Snape, he seems to make you really happy."

"Checking up on me were you?"  
Ron had the decency to look sheepish. "Well you can't always trust the Prophet, can you?"

At least Harry now knew there was an intrusion. "Well I'd have thought Hermione would have told you that things were going well."

"Yeah but even she wasn't sure how close you guys actually were, at least I can let her know she doesn't have to worry. It was really surprising when he shook my hand, I was sure he'd be glaring at me the whole time."

"Yes, well inform the rest of them that I am very happy in my current relationship but if anyone tries to interrupt my dates again I now have access to a potions that would make George's products seem like a walk in the park."

Ron shuddered at the threat and then said his goodbyes. Harry knew his threat would work as being George's product tester was currently seen as the ultimate punishment in the Weasley households.

Harry made his way back to the living room after ensuring his floo was locked. "I know you're doing those potions for cheap," Harry accused as he reentered the living room.

"It's all one batch, less work involved," Severus replied with a shrug.

Harry briefly considered pushing the issue but his potions knowledge was still minimal, especially compared to Severus, and, quite frankly, it wasn't worth getting into an argument over. "Thank you anyway, and sorry about the disturbance. I told Ron I was on to them… I suppose we were lucky we were lucky we didn't have Hermione and the rest of the Weasleys 'drop in' on us. I have locked the floo though now."

"Who's Oliver?"

Harry was confused. "Oliver Wood. Couple of years ahead of me at Hogwarts - plays keeper for Puddlemere United."

"Ah yes. Tall. Red haired. Have they had a falling out?"

"No I don't think so," at least he wasn't sure, Ron was a die hard quidditch fan after all. "I think Ron has finally realised that we aren't getting back together and has given up on the hope of free tickets." He played it off as a joke while he sorted his thoughts but Harry did sometimes wondered what would've happened if Voldemort had had the sense to try and bribe him with tickets, they may be looking at a very different wizarding world

"Back together?"

"Oliver and I. We dated for nearly two years. You didn't know?"

"No I didn't."

The man seemed genuinely surprised. Harry would have thought everyone in the wizarding world knew about his disastrous relationship but then kicked himself. Of course Severus didn't know, why in God's name would the man waste his time reading anything to do with Harry Potter especially since he was the one to constantly remind Harry that the world didn't revolve around him, or at least he used to anyway. Severus, likewise, probably skimmed over the recent articles as Harry doubted the man enjoyed seeing his face splashed across the front page, a perpetual downside of dating Harry Potter. Unfortunately Harry really didn't want to dwell on the past right now. "Well that's about all there is to say. We dated. He cheated. I pretty much hate him now."

"I'm sorry you had such a bad experience." Severus seemed so genuinely upset by the idea that Harry couldn't help but smile.

"Don't be. One door closes and an even better one opens." Harry replied, clinking their glasses together. It was true; he was happier with Severus that he thought he'd ever been with Oliver.

"When exactly is the stag do?" Severus asked and Harry's smile became even wider at the man's almost instinctive ability to know when to move on.

*

The stag do was the last Saturday of the month and organising it was turning into a nightmare. Thankfully he'd booked the time off well in advance so at least he wouldn't have to worry about that although it did leave him very little time to see Severus. They'd managed to meet for coffee one afternoon while Harry was on break to discuss the delivery of the potions. As usual it ended up on the front page although Harry had to admit it was a very good picture: he loved seeing Severus smile.

Harry had put some effort into getting ready on Saturday, wearing his tight black jeans and burgundy shirt which never failed to get him attention when he went out. Not that he was on the pull but he was seeing Severus, however briefly, and couldn't turn down the opportunity to try and entice the man a bit. Ever since Severus had put his hand on his thigh Harry had been plagued with erotic fantasys and was hoping he'd be able to encourage that development of their relationship.

Severus arrived at 5pm sharp. "You smell like a brothel," he said by way of greeting, but still leaned in to kiss Harry on the cheek so Harry had to reckon he couldn't smell that bad.

"I'm taking that as a compliment," he said, taking the potions from Severus and putting them on the bureau next to the shots. "A shot each and then a potion for later. Do you think I should have done a gift bag… maybe included some snacks." It was something he'd worried about after hearing about all the stuff Ginny had arranged for Hermione's hen do when she'd popped round earlier.

Harry turned his head to look at the man and could have sworn he saw him checking out his arse. He had to turn back to hide his smiles and missed Severus stepping up behind him until he felt the brush of the man's magic down his back, likely getting a crease missed by his poor charm work.

"I don't think anyone's going to care about the gift bag, Harry." The words were practically spoken into Harry's ear and he couldn't hide the shiver of pleasure that went through him as he fell back against Severus, happy when Severus's hands came around his waist.

Harry sighed. "I know, I know. It's just a lot of pressure you know."

The hands around Harry's waist squeezed slightly and Harry couldn't help relaxing back into the man. "You'll still be his best man gift bag or no gift bag."

Harry was just relaxing when he suddenly remembered about the money for the potions and the reason why Hermione had popped by that morning. Apparently she and Ron had discussed things, especially in light of Severus's conversation with Ron, and they'd decided to extend the man an invitation of his own, to the wedding as well as the reception.

"Say you'll come," Harry all but begged, "I know it's not exactly your thing but I'll enjoy it so much more if you're there with me. Hermione has said she'll sit you with me during the meal so you don't have to worry about making small talk with a bunch of muggles… or a bunch of Weasleys… or whichever is worse. What do you say?" Harry couldn't help sounding desperate; the thought if having to spend the entire day without Severus was thoroughly depressing to him. Harry had already made plans to beg a plus one if Hermione hadn't come up trumps.

"I think it would be very remiss of me to refuse such an invitation don't you?"

Harry was so happy he grabbed Severus's face and planted a kiss directly on his lips. It was still very chaste but he felt Severus still. Moving back he cleared his throat. Severus had that delightful blush again but seemed very quiet.

"You alright?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Severus replied quietly, "I'll leave. I'm sure that the stag members won't be far off."

He started walking to the floo when Harry stopped him, wanting to get some of their earlier closeness back. "Why don't you come with us?" To be honest Harry was seriously considering telling the party to go off without him and staying here with Severus but he doubted that would help the new truce between his best friend and boyfriend.

Severus smiled and squeezed Harry's hand. "I really don't think it will be to my taste. Have a good night… don't…" 

The hand holding Harry's tightened. "Don't?" Don't what: don't do anything that I wouldn't do; don't dance with other guys; don't meet someone else. There were a number of possible endings to that, all of which would give him a little insight into where Severus saw their relationship. 

"Just be safe," and with that the man left. 

To say Harry had a habit of becoming a little melancholic throughout the night might have been an understatement. Several of the party tried to ply him with shots while they were out which probably wasn't the best way to go and it was only 10pm when Charlie pulled him into a corner with a glass of water to help sober him up.

"Thanks Charlie, sorry I'm not being a great host, had a bit of a strange afternoon."

"No problem Harry, anything you want to talk about?" 

"Not unless you're good at divination." If Harry was honest with himself he was at a bit of a loss as to where their relationship was going.

"Relationship troubles? I thought you were really happy with Snape?"

"I am. Mostly. It's just we've been dating for over a month now but he seems to freak out every time we kiss."

"Maybe he just moves at a slower pace than you," Charlie suggested. 

"That's what Hermione said but it was barely a peck, surely that isn't a big deal."

"Actually it can be for some people," Charlie said with a smile. "I typically don't sleep with someone before 6 months."

Harry was shocked. "Really. That seems like a ridiculously long time, is there a reason for that? Are you trying to test your relationship?" 

"No, I just don't see sex as that important in a relationship and much prefer just kissing and cuddling. For a while I thought I might be asexual but realised I do feel sexual desire it just takes longer to grow in me. It's a fallacy that all guys are just walking hard-ons all the time. Snape might just have a really low sex drive."

"But I could have sworn I saw him checking me out?" Harry reasoned. 

"You can appreciate the way someone looks without feeling sexual desire."

"But how do I know?" Harry was aware he was whining but was still too drunk to care. "I really like him, Charlie and I don't want to mess it up but I don't know what to do. I really want him."

"But you can't force him to do something he doesn't want to do. Trust me, I know, I've had people try and guilt trip me into it before and it's always spelt the end of things, and not in a good way. At the end of the day you need to think about whether the possibility of a sexless relationship is something you can handle or not.

"Maybe he's not actually into you," George unhelpfully suggested as he joined the conversation.

"Severus wouldn't keep dating me if he wasn't into me."

"Yes but you're hardly dating, maybe he just thinks you're really friendly."

Charlie laughed at this, "good one George. Snape is a smart man, even if he's out the loop a bit he can't think Harry just goes round kissing all his friends like that."

They both laughed as they went to the bar to get some more drinks but the seeds of doubt had been planted in Harry's drink addled brain. He would have a chat with Hermione soon, to try and make sense of everything.


	5. May

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Weasley-Granger wedding and all that entails.

May. 

Two bloody days before the wedding and Hermione was dragging Harry to Madame Malkins to check out the bloody piping on his robes. He understood it was just a manifestation of her pre-wedding anxiety but he still wished he was working so he didn't have to try and feign interest, something he wasn't doing a good job at if the huff Hermione was in was any indication. Although, at least he'd had a chance to to chat to her about his relationship. 

Hermione had been very impressed when she learned that Harry had taken it upon himself to do a bit of research into asexuality and that he was still planning on seeing the man, although he did get an ear full for being a typical bloke and spending too much time thinking with his dick in the first place because "of course there's more to a relationship than sex." She thought George was ridiculous to suggest Severus wasn't aware they were dating, it was all over the Prophet after all, though she did promise to keep an eye on how Severus interacted with Harry to try and determine what the situation was.

Harry felt he was ok with taking things slowly, even extremely slowly, but didn't know if he could handle being in a relationship with the man long term knowing he would never have sex. At least if he knew ahead of time then he could at least make an informed decision but he thought it would be indelicate to ask him outright. He'd tried to get a read on things when they'd met up on Tuesday; Harry had principally gone round to enquire about getting some hangover potion since the batch for the stag do had worked so well and no one had any idea they'd all been off their faces just a few hours before the rehearsal.

Hermione had been so impressed with the results she'd asked Harry to put an order in so she could give one to each of the magical guests as a favor, charmed so they look the same as the ones for muggles. Severus had readily agreed and quoted only 35 galleons, well under what Hermione had expected, so Harry had agreed on her behalf. Unfortunately, given the short time frame, Severus had had to begin brewing straight away and Harry hadn't been able to tempt the man out for a date. At this rate Harry would be lucky to see the man before the wedding and even then he wasn't sure how much of the day they'd actually get to spend together with all Harry's duties as best man. 

Luck was apparently on his side, today at least, when he stepped out of the changing room to see Severus at the till having a discussion with the sales assistant.

"New robes Severus?" Harry asked, sidling up next to the man.

"Harry," Severus said in greeting and dipped his head to kiss Harry's cheek, nearly brushing his lips due to the angle. Harry watched the man and he seemed unperturbed by the near miss causing Harry to quirk a smile. 

"What's this I hear about a necktie?" Harry asked the sales assistant, hoping to diffuse the tension he felt radiating off the man from across the room.

"It's a beautiful bottle green one which will really finish off his look, Mr Potter." 

"His look, eh?" It was something the girl seemed really excited about and Harry didn't blame her. "Does this mean to say you are considering wearing something other than black?" If he was then Hermione and Ron's wedding really would be a special day.

"Brat," Severus said, stepping back, "you shall have to wait until Saturday to see my so called 'look'!" 

Harry pouted, at being told to wait and at the loss of physical closeness. Unfortunately at that point Severus looked up to see Hermione, who'd been watching the exchange intently.

Moving forward to cover her embarrassment, she greeted the man cordially. "Nice to see you, Professor." 

"Severus please, Miss Granger," Severus returned and Harry felt butterflies flutter in his stomach. He didn't know why but there was something warming about seeing his best friend and boyfriend getting along.

"Thank you Severus, Hermione will do fine. It's going to be confusing enough on Saturday with an extra Mrs Weasley being added to the mix. 

"Just had my final robe fitting," Harry said, finding a way to get back into the conversation. "Well, Hermione promises me it's the final one." With two days left Harry genuinely couldn't see how she could fit another one in which was a relief in itself.

"It is. She's going to do all the adjustments and owl them over tomorrow. Bloody…" Hermione said, checking her watch, "Harry, we're already 10 minutes late for lunch."

"I'm not surprised with the way you deliberated over the exact width of the piping, 5mm or 8mm! Surely it can't have made that much difference."

"Oh shush, you!" Hermione said smacking his arm in retaliation. "Would you like to join us," she continued, turning to Severus. "We are meeting Ron, Molly and Arthur at the Leaky Cauldron. You'd be more than welcome - Arthur was only talking the other day about how much he's looking forward to catching up with you at the wedding."

"I'll have to decline, unfortunately," Severus said, holding the door open for them, "I have to get to Gringotts and I have some orders to complete."

"We'll see you Saturday then Severus," Hermione said, clearly pleased with his show of gentlemanly behaviour, "and thank you again for fitting in that potions order."

"I'll catch up to you in a minute," Harry told her, wanting a quiet moment with his boyfriend while he could get it. Hermione rolled her eyes at him, clearly not impressed at Harry's lack of restraint, and hurried off to the Leaky, never liking to be late for anything. "I'll probably not get the chance to see you before Saturday," he said, smiling at Severus, "Hermione's got a list, it's pretty structured."

"Do not fear I've got plenty of orders to occupy my time."

Harry couldn't help but try and hear a hint of disappointment in Severus's voice although he should have known it was pointless, he could never read the man when he wanted to. "Ok, Saturday it is then."

Feeling the need for a little reassurance on where their relationship was, Harry held on to Severus's upper arms as he stretched up on his toes and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. Severus's hands, that were on Harry's waist, gave a quick squeeze before the man pulled back, smiling at Harry's antics before turning and heading towards the bank.

As soon as his back was turned Harry quickly darted back into Madame Malkins to buy the necktie the sales assistant was talking about: the chance of being able to see Severus in more colour was too good to pass up.

Harry was, unsurprisingly, rushed off his feet nearly every minute up to the wedding. There was a running joke amongst the Weasleys that Hermione was going to start scheduling meals and sleep so they had a tendency to throw Harry in her path as an attempt to distract her. It worked fairly well at distracting Harry as well and before he knew it it was the big day. 

He had seen the front page article about his and Severus's relationship on the day he'd sent the man the necktie he'd bought him, with golden runes that he'd added to it for protection. Harry was sure there could be no mistaking the fact that they were in a serious relationship, George be damned, and Hermione agreed. She also pointed out that Severus wouldn't smile at him like he did if he weren't happy with that sort of behaviour from Harry. He took heart in that, using it as his excuse for having cut out the picture: he really wished they could get a proper picture of them that he could frame instead.

Harry wasn't surprised when he saw that Severus had arrived with plenty of time however he was floored by the sight of the man in bottle green velvet robes. The sales assistant hadn't been lying when she said the necktie would go well, the man looked like perfection and Harry had to stop himself from jumping him.

"Severus! Your robes aren't black! I thought you were joking!" 

"Very well observed, Harry," Severus said, closing the distance between them, "clearly not joking."

Harry suddenly realised that his comment might be misconstrued. "Sorry, I didn't mean to… you look great by the way...I was just surprised."

Harry was relieved when Severus rolled his eyes. "Perhaps I should wear colour more often if it evokes this response from you."

Harry couldn't help but smile, "I wouldn't go out and buy a neon pink robe any time soon but green," makes you look delicious, Harry stopped himself from saying, not wanting Severus to feel uncomfortable. "But of course you suit green, slytherin through and through," a compliment that Severus would appreciate, he thought as he stroked the plush fabric before focusing his attention on the tie. "She was right, it does complete the look."

Severus stopped him from touching it, "you'll move it out of place if you're not careful - thank you. Yours on the other hand," he said, reaching to undo Harry's. 

Harry laughed. "I used a spell but I don't think I practiced it enough." He'd been trying to keep his failure from Hermione for fear she'd have a breakdown if she saw it.

"You did the spell well enough it's just not as effective as tying it yourself," Severus reassured him before quickly redoing it for him, making subtle adjustments until he was satisfied. "Perfect," he whispered and Harry couldn't help hoping that Severus was referring to him and not just his necktie.

Staring into each other's eyes they seemed to move together and Harry felt his heart rate increase until a flash startled them out of their trance.

"Bloody hell Dennis, go take pictures of Ron or something," Harry shouted, upset at having their moment ruined and causing the poor boy to scamper away. Harry sighed, "I better go too, actually," as much as he would love to spend the rest of the day right where he was, "will you be ok on your own?" 

"I'll manage sufficiently I believe." 

Harry smiled at the man and gave his hand one last squeeze before reluctantly going off to find Ron.

The service was beautiful and Harry was so glad that he could be a part of it. Seeing his friends so happy, though, brought back the feeling that he might never have this for himself, selfish he knew, and he did his best to stamp the feelings down. Once Ron and Hermione had been waved off Harry made his way over to Severus and gave the man a hug, burying his head in Severus's shoulder, his emotions simmering just below the surface. "Well that's it, they're finally married."

Severus wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulder and manoeuvred them so he could see Harry's face. "Are you alright?" he asked, concern written all over his face.

Harry tried to swallow down his emotions but assumed he must have failed as Severus quickly herded him away from the crowds and Dennis's infernal camera for which Harry was eternally grateful. 

"You're just a little overwhelmed. Perfectly natural reaction to your oldest friends marrying each other." Severus offering him unsolicited comfort was almost his undoing. He let his head fall into Severus's shoulder, seeking cover, "you'll be fine in a moment." Harry sure hoped so. 

He took a deep breath knowing he was probably seconds away from having a breakdown. "Do you know the coordinates to the reception?" 

"Yes."

"Dfo you mind apparating me?" Harry asked, feeling physically as well as emotionally weak and there was no way he was going to risk ruining his friend's day by splinching himself.

Severus didn't say a word but held Harry tightly before casting a quick anti-sickness spell before apparating them both to the venue and quickly handing Harry an Anti-nausea potion.

"Thank you. The potion was thoughtful - I'd forgotten to bring one." At this point Harry was starting to wonder how he survived before Severus came into his life.

"I've taken to carrying them with me around you. I'd rather not have you faint in the street and make the front page of the Prophet for doing you harm."

Harry laughed, wondering how his younger self could ever think this man would do him serious harm. "You didn't mind the article too much did you?" Severus had told him just a couple of weeks ago that he wanted a quiet life and Harry suddenly wondered if he wasn't doing the man a disservice hanging off him at every available opportunity.

Severus crossed his arms. "Well I don't exactly enjoy being front page news but I'll endure it." Harry smiled, mentally adding a 'for you' at the end of that sentence. "Am I to expect to be challenged to a duel this evening by Oliver Wood?" 

"Not bloody likely, Hermione wrote to him asking him to not attend after I told her it would make me uncomfortable," and wasn't he glad about that. Not that he was worried about Severus, the man could wipe the floor with Oliver with one hand tied behind his back, but he was worried it would give the man some bad press, especially among Oliver's substantial fan base. "He's been a bit persistent recently," Harry admitted. 

"Persistent? He's been contracting you?" Harry hoped it wasn't wishful thinking that Severus seemed a little jealous. 

"It's nothing," he said, trying to reassure Severus with a smile, "can we talk about it another time? Right now I'm ready for a drink."

"Lead the way," Severus conceded, though Harry knew they would have to talk about it at some stage. Knowing that it was dropped for now, however, he breathed a sigh of relief and took Severus's hand and took him into the venue, adamant that he wouldn't let go until he absolutely had to.

Later that evening after the speeches, the meals, the first dance and the cutting of the cake Harry felt he could relax, comfortable in the knowledge that everyone seemed to have thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Hermione and Ron had decided on a couples table instead of the traditional head table due to the large discrepancy in the size of their families. This worked out in Harry's favour as he was basically able to name his own table when he came up with the plan with Hermione: him, Severus, Charlie, Andromeda, Teddy, Bill, Fleur and their two children.

He tried to stay at Severus's side as much as he could but unfortunately his duties often pulled him away but at least he knew when he did have to go he could rely on Bill to make sure Severus didn't feel isolated. He was also happy he could finally introduce Severus to Teddy; he was trying to do his job as the boys godfather and didn't want to have to keep them separate should his relationship with Severus last.

He knew part of his duty was encouraging people onto the dance floor, Hermione had promised to castrate him should he try and shirk that particular duty, which meant he spent a lot of that time dancing with Teddy since Severus adamantly refused to join him, but once the floor was full, he took the opportunity to head back to his boyfriend. "Let's go outside for a bit," Harry suggested, wanting the chance to be alone with Severus a bit.

"If we must," Severus replied, though he didn't seem too reluctant. He took Harry's wine glass and cast a quick, wandless sticking charm on their drinks.

"Severus, the muggles!"

"Harry. Please remember that muggles don't know they are muggles." Harry stopped, wondering if he was more drunk than he realised. "Come on," Severus said, grabbing his arm and dragging him to the door.

They turn down a gravel path and Harry wonders how best to approach what he was thinking. Deciding the direct approach was probably for the best he bit the bullet, "what do you think about marriage?" 

"It's not something that I've ever considered for myself," Severus said, probably a little shocked at Harry's sudden question, "but I think that's down to circumstance rather than dismissing the notion. I think if done properly it could be very rewarding."

Harry nodded thoughtfully, deciding to be completely honest with the man about the reason for his near breakdown earlier. "I sometimes think it will never happen to me. I had these pictures when I was at Hogwarts, of my parent's wedding, I looked at them all the time, I just couldn't wait to get married to some nice girl and be just like them. For a while I thought perhaps that might be Ginny but then after a few… false starts shall we say, I realised I was gay. I was pretty heartbroken thinking I'd never have what my parents had. I suppose today just brought that all back."

Severus took his hand, "just because you're gay doesn't mean you can't be just as happy as your parents were, or as happy as your friends."

Harry looked at him and smiled, "I think that I'm beginning to believe that actually," and wasn't that true. When Harry had been with Oliver, the other man had been a textbook definition commitmentphobe and Harry hadn't met anyone else in the gay wizarding community that was married so he'd assumed it was a pipedream. Now he was wondering if it was just the scene he and Oliver had hung out in as Severus didn't seem at all adverse to the idea in general and, possibly, with Harry himself.

Looking into Severus's eyes Harry stepped closer, feeling another moment developing between them - only to be foiled again, this time by his own clumsiness as his foot slipped and caused them both to tumble to the grass.

"Severus, I'm sorry, are you ok?" he asked from where he'd fallen on top of the other man. 

"I'm fine, or I will be when I get up."

Harry laughed but decided he didn't actually want to move, cuddling into Severus instead. "I dunno . I'm perfectly comfy," planning on claiming the alcohol should this backfire. 

"Brat," Severus said but his arms wrapped around Harry's waist anyway. "Scorpious is particularly bright tonight."

"Is it?" Harry shifted around so he could see better. "So it is. What does that mean then?" 

"No idea. Astronomy was never my strong subject at school. I dropped it in my third year. 

"I'll look it up. See if it's a good omen for them," though if the current situation was anything to go by then it definitely was. He couldn't imagine Severus admitting a weakness to just anyone and, with his previous answer, Harry couldn't help but hope that his childhood dream may come true. Severus turned to look at him and an image of him standing at the top of an aisle, waiting for Harry, as their friends watched on, filled Harry's mind and the realisation that he would willingly share his life with this man hit him like a ton of bricks and he knew, no matter what else was going to happen in their relationship, his heart well and truly belonged to this man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of my favourite chapters, these two are so unbelievably cute here it gives me the feels big time.


	6. June

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Severus's attitude changes and Harry wonders if everything is actually going as well as he thinks.

June. 

Harry wasn't overly surprised to come back to a desk full of reports to review once he'd gotten back to work. Thankfully he didn't have to make time for wedding stuff anymore and Ron and Hermione were off on a month long tour of Asia and Australia so he only had to worry about making time for Severus. They settled back into a routine of seeing each other about once a week, either at his place or Severus's, and Severus had even managed to get started sorting out Harry's garden.

The first weekend of June turned out to be an absolutely beautiful day so Harry fire-called Severus in the morning to ask if he wanted to come over and work on the garden some more since the weather in London in June could be so unpredictable. Severus agreed and soon came round, except he was busy working which meant Harry didn't actually have anything to do. The problem was that when Harry was bored he became restless, which could sometimes be a problem although this time it only resulted in an impromptu bbq. A quick round of fire-calls soon had confirmations from the whole Weasley clan, minus Ron and Hermione who were still on their honeymoon, with Arthur promising to bring the grill as Harry had yet to purchase one. He left the floo open so his guests could come through and left Severus working on the beds as he went out to get food and drink supplies. Molly was busy sorting out plates in the kitchen when Harry came in and they managed to get everything sorted quickly before heading back out to the garden where they saw both Severus and Arthur busy at work. 

"There you are Harry," Arthur greeted when he saw Harry had arrived, "for a minute I thought you'd left Severus here alone to deal with all us lot. We were just discussing what you planned on planting here."

"Well actually I was thinking Severus might want to utilise it to grow some of his potions ingredients." Severus seemed shocked but, to Harry, it only seemed obvious, especially as the man would probably do most of the work.

"Maybe I'll take you up on that," Severus said, after a moment's pause, "I have always preferred my ingredients fresh."

Harry laughed at Severus's stiff attitude now that the Weasleys were here and walked up to his boyfriend, kissing him on the cheek, "or maybe it's just an excuse to get you over here more often."

Molly and Arthur snickered and Harry was sure Arthur whispered something about "love's young dream"; Harry couldn't agree more. He was sure Severus must have overheard as well, the man had the hearing of a bat, and Harry was sure he'd be happy about that, but apparently he was wrong. From that moment something shifted but Harry couldn't put his finger on what exactly. 

Harry tried to relax and have fun and, while he was enjoying an afternoon in the sun with his adopted family, he couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't quite right. While Severus was his usual attentive self, always on hand when Harry needed a hand and courteous to all of his guests, there was something about him that seemed off to Harry; an almost pensive attitude that had Harry slightly on edge.

It was while he was in the kitchen getting some more butterbeers that George cornered him.

"So,slept with the old dungeon bat yet?" 

Harry rolled his eyes, "not everything is about sex George."

"I'll take that as a no then. You do realise you don't have to settle though don't you, I mean I know Wood ended up being an arse but I'm sure there's a bunch of guys waiting to have a chance at you."

"Waiting to have a chance with the savior of the wizarding world," Harry corrected, "thanks but no thanks. I've never liked that kind of attention, you know that."

"I know and I'm sure that's where some of the appeal with Snape is, can't get much further from a fan with him, what I'm asking is are you truly happy with him."

"I am," said Harry, deep in thought. 

"You don't sound terribly believable there, wanna try that again."

Harry shook his head. "It's not that, something is different about him this afternoon, he seems quieter."

"Could just be all us Weasleys," George suggested, "we tend to be a bit much for most people when we all get together and I doubt this is how the dear potions master imagined spending his Sunday."

Harry conceded George's point with a smile. 

"That's more like it," the red head exclaimed, "been too long since we've seen you with a proper smile on your face."

This only caused Harry's smile to get bigger. "I definitely feel happier than I have felt for some time."

"So long as things stay that way. Just don't stay with the guy cos you feel you have to or something; don't want you dying of blue balls or something like that."

"George!" Angelina shouted, having come in to see what was taking her husband and Harry so long, "I'm sure Harry doesn't need your advice on his love life. Not to mention the fact that it was ridiculously insensitive, what if Severus heard you."

George looked appropriately contrite, although Harry suspected the threat of spending a month on the sofa was the motivator behind that, but at least he promised to let the subject drop. Harry, unfortunately, had only been given more to think about. He was sure he wasn't imagining the difference in Severus's behaviour, even at the wedding he hadn't seemed this quiet, he just hoped George's suggestion was right as the only other thing that Harry could think was that Severus maybe getting bored of him and want to break up. 

Harry knew he wasn't the ideal partner, he had a ton of baggage and had the entire Weasley clan as a sort of entourage. He had fairly average intelligence and wasn't that much to look at, at least he didn't think so anyway and he was pretty sure those articles in Witch Weekly were mostly hero worship. When he thought about it like that he had to wonder why Severus was with him at all. He wished he had Hermione around to talk to, or even Charlie who seemed to have some insight into this sort of thing thing, unfortunately the second eldest Weasley brother had had to go back to Romania for work and Hermione wasn't due back for over a week so Harry was currently on his own. He hadn't been lying when he told George he was happy though. Sure he'd spent a few mornings getting himself off in the shower now that he'd realised how truly sexy the man was, but it was nothing he couldn't handle.

Harry tried to shake the thoughts from his head, they were unhelpful and frequently went round in circles, knowing it was probably best to just talk to the man himself. 

He got his chance that evening, Severus decided to hang around after the Weasleys and their offspring had left so Harry cracked open a bottle of wine, sure his boyfriend must be sick of butterbeer by now.

"You ok?" Harry asked, "You've been fairly quiet today. I know you don't like gatherings so much but I appreciate you enduring them for me."

"Who said I do it for you?" Severus asked, raising his eyebrow inquisitively. 

Harry couldn't help laughing. "Who do you do it for then?" he returned, poking the man in the ribs for good measure. But Severus only turned to look out the window.

Harry's worries came back as he wondered what Severus was thinking, wondering if the man was weighing up the pros and cons of being with the boy-who-lived-again. Harry reached for Severus's hand, craving some reassurance as the man continued to silently stare out the window. "Severus, I've lost you again. ARE you alright?" 

"Yes, yes, I just worry that your family and friends don't like your choice of company."

Harry might have laughed at the irony bur Severus seemed genuinely concerned. "Did someone say something?" Harry didn't care how well meaning George was, if he'd messed things up for him, Harry would kill him.

"No. In fact Arthur started babbling about how happy you were."

Harry smiled as he reached out to try and sooth away whatever it was that was worrying Severus. "He's right of course I am happy." Unfortunately his brain decided to come up with another idea on what might be bothering the man: "you're not worried about the pace are you?" hoping that that was a delicate enough way to word things. Hadn't Harry only been thinking that afternoon about having to alleviate certain frustrations. In this modern age it was normal for relationships to have progressed much more than theirs had. Maybe Severus was worried he was getting too frustrated. 

"Pace?" Severus questioned with a frown.

"Because I'm quite happy with it to be honest with you," Harry continued, not really registering what Severus was saying. "Didn't think I'd be into it as I've never done it like this before but really it's so much better. You know you take all the pressure off and really get to the heart of things don't you?" He snuggled into the man's side, hoping for some physical reassurance and Severus's arm naturally coming around his waist: everything was fine.

That is until Severus suddenly stood up causing Harry to fall into the spot where he was just sitting. "Severus!"

"Sorry, I just need to use the toilet."

Nothing wrong with that on the surface but it started Harry worrying again. Maybe he'd read too much into Severus cuddling him and the man hadn't been fully aware of his actions, maybe that was what had caused him to panic. Taking some deep breaths and putting all thoughts of possibly breaking up from his mind, Harry waited for Severus to return as patiently as he could. 

Thankfully the man wasn't too long. "Better?" he asked, as Severus reentered the lounge.

"Much," he replied, retaking his seat on the sofa and his arm coming back around Harry's waist. Harry breathed a sigh of relief as he snuggled back into the man's side. Wanting some verbal as well as physical reassurance he came up with an idea. "We should go on holiday." After all, you wouldn't plan a holiday with someone, possibly months in the future, if you were planning on breaking up with them. 

"Where to?"

"Paris, Rome, Madrid, Shetland… anywhere really. I've never been that fussy… not that I've ever been on holiday." Harry didn't care if it was the hotel round the corner so long as he could spend all his time cuddled with Severus. 

"You haven't?" Severus seemed surprised.

"No, not unless you count the Quidditch World Cup, or that time I stayed in the Leaky for a couple of weeks, or the times I've been sent away for work. When I say holiday I mean the sort where you have no ties and you can just do what you want. Even stay in bed all day."

"I suppose an anniversary holiday would be a nice idea."

"Oh yes, and that way we have plenty of time to plan." That was over 8 months away! Definitely serious. 

"And when is it again?"

Harry gave Severus a dirty look, as if the man could have forgotten. The slight quirk of his lips let Harry in on the joke, however. "You tease," though that was a reminder of when their anniversary actually was. "That would be lovely but I think Valentines would be pretty busy… and not really your scene," plus he didn't want to have to fight with Tremblay again. "All those loved up couples fawning all over each other in public." As much as he liked the idea of being like that with Severus he'd never do it on purpose as he knew it would only end up on the front page.

"Perhaps another time then."

Harry sighed, already coming up with possible ideas of where they could go, hopefully not going too far so Harry wouldn't lose too much time being sick. They stayed like that for a while longer, simply enjoying each other's company. When Severus kissed him goodbye it somehow felt so much sweeter.


	7. July

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry's birthday surprise.

July.

Given how uncertain he had felt at the beginning of the month, the rest of the month felt like bliss. Severus seemed more affectionate than ever, initiating more touches than ever, and even the kisses seemed sweeter. He was a little worried when the Prophet started up a weekly 'Snarry watch' article which tracked their relationship, knowing how much the man enjoyed his privacy, but Severus simply told him it was free advertising.

Although they still went out on dates from time to time, Severus mostly came round to Harry's when they met up which suited Harry just fine. Not only did it allow Severus more time to work on the garden, which was coming on in leaps and bounds, to the extent Harry had bought a double swing so they could sit out and enjoy it now that the weather was warming up a bit.

Staying at home also allowed Harry to cook for Severus, something he greatly enjoyed doing especially as Severus seemed to enjoy his cooking. He did offer to return the favour but Harry was quite content; Severus was going out of his way to sort out Harry's garden after all, he couldn't be greedy.

Harry was greatly looking forward to his birthday at the end of the month this year. He'd booked the time off at the beginning of the year and made a point not to mention that it was his birthday and was glad that his colleagues had so little interest in his life they would never think to look it up. It was also a date which thankfully fell mid-week so it was unlikely that anyone would suddenly want to switch. It was a shame he wouldn't be seeing the Weasleys on his actual birthday, they were having a meal on the Friday, but very handy as Severus had made him promise to keep the whole day free. The man adamantly refused to give him any more information and Harry was quickly learning he wasn't a fan of surprises.

The suspense was agonising and made planning what to wear an absolute nightmare which was why, on the morning of his birthday, Severus flooed in to find him standing in front of the mirror. 

"I think the jacket's too much," he said when he saw that Severus had entered the room. He had just finished buttoning up a cream linen one over his pale blue polo which he had teamed with his navy chino shorts. "Though of course it would help if you told me where you were taking me."

Severus walked up behind him, wrapping his arms around his waist and smoothing down the jacket. "I think it looks perfect for what I've got planned. Happy birthday," Severus said, kissing his cheek. 

Harry beamed at him through the mirror. "Alright then come on I'm ready." He wriggled out of Severus's grasp, suddenly impatient to get going. 

"Shoes?" Harry could have smacked himself round the head. 

He contented himself with rolling his eyes. "What would I do without you, eh?" although it was quickly getting to the point where he didn't want to know.

"Cheeky sod." 

This time it was Harry's turn to wrap his arms around Severus. "Yes but I'm your cheeky sod," and wasn't that the God's honest truth. 

Severus's only response was to steal a kiss before activating a portkey, completely catching Harry by surprise. 

They arrived at their destination a couple of seconds later and Harry's eyes went wide: first from suppressing the urge to vomit and then because of what he saw. There, at the end of the street was the Eiffel tower, they were in Paris!

"You'll get a better view at the end of the alley," Severus said and Harry didn't waste any time in walking away, still reeling from the shock. He was used to books, chocolate, even clothes but no one had ever thought about doing something like this for him, birthday or no.

"Severus you didn't?" Harry knew the man's business had been doing well as he was frequently busy when Harry called but Paris!

"Didn't what? Take this quickly." That was all the warning Severus gave before pouring a potion down his throat. 

"We're in Paris!" Harry suddenly realised all of his feelings of dizziness and nausea were gone. "What was that potion?" Nothing he'd ever taken before had worked that well or that quickly.

"Something I've created for you. It's a powerful anti travel-sickness remedy if my calculations are correct you shouldn't feel too unwell today even after international travel. I know you told me you usually end up bedridden but I hope that it will reduce your suffering enough to enjoy today. You may have a little sickness or nausea still… until I adjust the potion."

"You created a potion for me?" Harry asked, spinning back around to look at Severus. He was honestly floored. He'd been planning on stamping down any sickness in order to enjoy this wonderful surprise only his boyfriend was one step ahead and had custom made a potion to help him.

"Yes. You said you wanted to travel. I thought day travel with your affliction might not be manageable so I made this so that you could travel with limited ill effects. I'm also making you a long lasting anti-sickness potion. I'm hoping that in future you will only need to take it once a month enabling you to apparate without any side effects."

The man said it with a shrug as if it was nothing except Harry knew what a long and complicated process it was to create a potion like this, it was why St Mungos principally used other people's creations. Harry had only mentioned travelling last month which meant that Severus must have been working on this potion before then, probably since he first learned of Harry's condition, and had booked this trip because he knew the potion was ready and Harry would be ok,and of course he was shrugging it all off as if it was nothing. No one had ever given him anything like a trip away as a present before, that alone was incredible, but the potion as well! "You are amazing," he said, grabbing the man's face. 

Severus tried to say something but Harry didn't give him the chance, crushing their lips together in a passionate kiss. Harry only had a brief second to worry if he'd pushed things too far and ruined everything when Severus's hands came up around him, one on his lower back and the other in his hair, and the man took complete control of the kiss.

Harry was in heaven as tongues collided and his own hands wound their way into Severus's hair and his back was pressed into a nearby wall. Damn but if he knew the man could kiss like this he'd have pushed things along a lot sooner.

They continued kissing for a few minutes before Severus seemed to reluctantly pull away. "The portkey is timed to return at 9pm. As much as I'd love to further explore your mouth with my tongue I'd like you to enjoy Paris on your birthday."

"Merlin." Harry had never pictured the man talking dirty though he couldn't figure out why. Maybe it was because he seemed a little uptight but that was all out the window now since that one sentence had almost been enough to finish him off there and then. "Come on then," he said, hoping to distract himself. At the moment he had half a mind to say screw Paris and drag Severus into the nearest hotel. Severus, however, simply straightened Harry's hair, at least as much as he could, and took Harry's hand, leading him towards their first stop.

Harry was soon distracted from thoughts of ravishing the man as his natural curiosity took over. Their first port of call was the Parisian wizarding district so Severus could exchange some money, refusing to let Harry do the same, insisting that this was Harry's treat and Harry tried to just accept this although it was hard at times. They saw many of the sights, including climbing the tower and a trip down the Seine, and Harry couldn't help but chatter away about everything he'd learned from the travel books he'd read when he'd thought about visiting this wonderful city. At times, though, the desire to ravish Severus would rear its head again; sometimes it was the way the man would quirk that small smile he seemed to save just for Harry, at other times it was simply that he'd noticed they were passing a convenient dark alcove. Either way, the urge would come and Harry would push the man against the nearest wall and kiss him with fervor until he felt things getting too heated and would pull away and move on to the next stop to calm himself down again.

Harry had to admit Severus had done a wonderful job, planning an amazing day for him, even booking a table at a restaurant with views of the tower where they were able to eat delicious food, sat out on a balcony, enjoying the last of the evening sun. Suffice it to say that the day was perfect and Harry was loathed to let it end. The fact that Severus had done all this, spending his hard earned money, just for Harry was astounding to him and he knew that he would do everything in his power to make sure Severus stayed in his life for a long, long time.

Harry was looking forward to being able to return the favour and he was even wondering about where Severus might like to go for his birthday as they were walking round gardens around the tower when Severus pulled him behind a statue, taking out a book and motioning for Harry to hold onto it as well. Harry gave the Eiffel tower one last look, hoping to cement this day in his memory forever before he felt the familiar pull of a portkey.

They landed back in Harry's living room and Severus instantly pushed a potion into his hand and ordered him to drink it quickly. Harry did but apparently the potion wasn't as effective the second time around, or his tiredness was having an affect, and Harry felt himself wobble as he fought down a wave of nausea.

Severus must have noticed him struggling a bit as Harry felt himself pulled tightly against the man's chest. He tried to convince Severus that he was fine but he didn't think he was overly convincing and had to admit he wasn't really in a hurry to move from his current position.

"I think that second portkey was a little hopeful for the potion at this stage of its development."

Harry laughed. Trust Severus to be analysing the effects of the potion at this moment. "Honestly I would have been so much worse without it," Harry said, wanting to reassure the man who was working so hard to ease Harry's suffering.

"I think you should lie down."

"Yes, my bed sounds like a wonderful idea now," he did not want to leave the comforting warmth of this man's arms.

They made their way to Harry's room and he almost chuckled as he watched Severus cast a quick cleaning spell and hang up Harry's jacket while Harry just dumped the rest of his clothes on the floor.

Harry too tired to be coordinated and Severus came over to help him manoeuvre under the covers. Severus even tucked Harry in before picking up his discarded clothing and putting them in the wash basket. Harry got a little confused, however, as Severus shut the curtains and started walking to the door, still fully dressed.

"Where are you going?"

"Home," Severus replied, turning back to face Harry. "I don't think you'll be leaving that bed until the morning."

That had been Harry's plan but he now realised that Severus wasn't ready to take that step with him yet. Harry, however, wasn't ready for his wonderful birthday to end, even if they didn't do more than cuddle. "Stay," he suggested, pulling back the covers. "Nothing untoward. I've just had such a lovely day and I don't want you to leave yet." Harry wasn't above begging or using the sick card. 

Thankfully he had to do neither as Severus simply sighed and climbed in next to him. He was still fully dressed but Harry decided he would take what he could get, especially if it meant spending the night cuddled up in Severus's arms, the perfect end to the perfect day. 

"You, Severus Snape, are the best thing to ever happen to me."

Severus merely snorted and told him he was mad but still pulled Harry into his side a little tighter. Harry was going to try and come up with some long, powerful speech to try and convince Severus just how grateful he was for everything the man had done for him that day but the call of Morpheus was too strong, especially with how comfortable and warm he was, snuggled next to the man who was firmly entrenched in his affections. The knowledge that Severus would still be there when Harry woke up was more than enough to send Harry off to sleep with a huge smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the slightly later than usual update but I'm trying to write one chapter ahead of where I'm posting and the next chapter is slightly epic (nearly a third of what's already been posted). Hopefully I can get some more written soon as I'll be working over Christmas and wouldn't it be nice to be done by the new year.


	8. August

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A crisis hits the wizarding world.

August.

Harry's birthday, and the knowledge that Severus had created a potion principally for him, awoke in Harry a need to explore a world that he had previously thought out of his reach. It started innocently enough with him going to a magical travel agency with the plan to get some ideas for a trip for Severus's birthday.

The travel agent showed him a hotel in Madrid that looked absolutely gorgeous. The restaurants had rave reviews, with full waiter service, and there was an option to go all inclusive. The idea if spending two weeks lounging by the pool, drinking a never ending supply of sangria while soaking up the Spanish sun sounded sublime, or maybe it was just an excuse to see Severus in swimwear, either way it had Harry excited and he couldn't wait to talk to Severus about it, taking a brochure to show him. Severus did seem slightly impressed and even made a suggestion about kissing in the jacuzzi, followed by a demonstration that completely short circuited Harry's brain. They unfortunately managed to spill wine all over the brochure during the make out session, completely ruining it, but Harry thought kissing Severus now was far better than fantasising about some possible future holiday.

The next week he managed to grab lunch with Ron and Hermione who had finally got round to getting their honeymoon pictures processed since they'd both been swamped at work since coming back. It was amazing for Harry to hear about their adventures, the Australian and Asian cultures were so different to European culture that it boggled his mind. He went straight back to the travel agent after he left them to see what deals they offered. The agent recommended an extended tour, especially when Harry mentioned his travel sickness, three weeks to allow time for Harry to recover with a tour around numerous sights including a trip to the Great Barrier Reef. Unfortunately Severus was ever the voice of reason and pointed out that he couldn't possibly take that long a break from his business without there being serious consequences.

Harry kicked himself for being so selfish and not considering his boyfriends needs. He had also forgotten that he could only book two weeks of annual leave at a time, unless you could get special dispensation, which Violet Rosier would never give him, especially not to simply go on holiday with his boyfriend.

He also realised he hadn't been taking Severus's financial situation into account. Although the holiday was going to be Harry's treat to Severus, the man's pride wouldn't accept it if Harry arranged something that would make him feel indebted to Harry. If he wanted to do this as an actual treat for Severus he needed to think more inside the man's own budget, he was a self employed potioneer after all, so it was unlikely that he would be able to afford some luxury break. With that in mind Harry went back to the travel agent and looked at more affordable breaks. The agent suggested a long weekend in Eastern Europe as the food and drink costs would be very low.

The agent showed him a lovely hotel in Budapest, low budget but in an old building so it still had beautiful features including a marble foyer and chandeliers throughout. It was conveniently located near the centre of the city so they wouldn't even need to worry about travel expenses once they were there. He was impressed with his choice and couldn't wait to see Severus's reaction. The man seemed highly interested and Harry was just thinking about when would be the earliest date he could book time off Severus told him that the improvements to the anti-sickness potion wouldn't be ready until October and he didn't want to risk losing one day out of three for the sake of waiting a couple of months. Harry pouted, he had been looking forward to getting to spend an extended amount of time with Severus but he supposed he could see the logic in waiting.

Harry was talking with some of the staff at St Mungos about his possible getaway when Tremblay piped up.

"Eastern Europe! Really Potter I know I've had my doubts about your competency and commitment to this job but this really takes the cake."

"What are you going on about this time, Tremblay." Trust that woman to ruin his plans when he finally thought he was getting somewhere.

"The virus, Potter. If you need me to tell you more than that then you are simply proving my point. I suggest you pick up a medical journal from time to time if you actually want to get anywhere in this profession." With that she flounced out the break room but her job was done; Harry had been thoroughly chastised and humiliated in front of his peers and rumours would be round the hospital in minutes. He knew he should have been putting a higher priority on his reading but he'd been enjoying spending time with Severus so much he'd put it off and now that decision was biting him in the arse.

He went straight to Flourish and Blotts after his shift and stayed up late into the night reading the latest edition of the European Healers Gazette cover to cover. He was glad he had because first thing the following morning he was called into work for an emergency all staff meeting.

The Gazette had been all about a new virus that had originated in Eastern Europe and was very rapidly spreading with currently no known cure. It seemed to attach itself to immature magical cores and fed off the energy. The current statistics showed only a 70% survival rate, with only 30% of survivors suffering no lasting damage and 50% losing their magical cores completely. They were truly distressing numbers and every healer knew they were facing the worst crisis since Voldemort. So far the only treatment was to sedate the patients which helped slow the progress of the virus but, with no cure in sight, it was simply delaying the inevitable. The reports had been suppressed in the news to try and minimise panic but with the 1st of September only two weeks away, schools were going to have to remain shut or risk becoming breeding grounds which meant the world would soon know everything. 

The main question of the staff meeting was who was going to head up the new department that was being set up to treat any patients they would get. With news of the virus being made public, the position would end up being extremely high profile but, with the terrible survival rate and no cure in sight, no healer wanted that on their record. In fact it would likely be a career ender.

"Perhaps Mr Potter would be a good choice," Violet Rosier piped up and Harry wanted to strangle the cow. "He is the saviour of the wizarding world after all, I'm sure the public would feel a lot more secure with him at the helm."

"Is that really wise," questioned the hospital director, Mr Rainford. "Not to question the young man's abilities but he is still fairly inexperienced so, while I see the merit of having him on the team, I am worried about him heading it."

"I wouldn't worry about that, sir," said Tremblay, "Potter has excellent leadership skills and, despite being the senior healer, I often defer to him. He's had some excellent ideas in his time with us, some of them quite unorthodox but which turned out to be highly effective." Harry was wondering what would happen if he punched the lying cow in the face right now.

"I am aware of the spattergoit case you're referring to, Miss Tremblay, as I am likewise aware of the excellent report we got from Mr Potter's stint in Egypt Ms Rosier," Violet, who was just about to interject, put her hand back down. "But," Mr Rainford continued, "the head of this department would have to work closely and I'm afraid Mr Potter doesn't have the best relationship with that department."

The director wasn't exaggerating, not only had there been Harry's very public screaming match with Fort but the department had recently hired Draco Malfoy as an apprentice. He and Malfoy had managed to put a lot of their prejudices aside when the blonde decided to fight with Harry in the war but old habits die hard and the two would often descend into snipping matches. They weren't as vindictive as during their school days but they were hardly conducive to a good working environment.

Unfortunately for Harry, Fort joined the discussion. "Given the severity of the situation I was hoping to bring on an outside potions master to help consult."

"I assume you have someone in mind?" the director asked and Fort nodded. "Their reputation would have to be stellar if they're going to be aligned with the hospital." 

"His reputation is well known among the potions guild and his skill is high enough to meet even Mr Potters exacting standards. I don't want to say anymore, however, as I wouldn't want him to face any repercussions should he not feel up to the task and want to decline the offer."

"Understandable, Mr Ford. Perhaps we can offer Mr Potter the same courtesy before we all assume he will undertake the lead on this."

The meeting wrapped up shortly after that and Harry felt the need to either see Severus or drink himself into oblivion. Unfortunately this was the time that Harry would usually be sleeping which meant that Severus would be brewing as he always tried to make sure he would be free when Harry was. Harry didn't want to risk missing the chance to talk to Severus about this mess by ending up in a drunken stupor so he chose the sensible option and went back to sleep. Something that turned out to be a good thing when he got another emergency firecall only a couple of hours later.

They had had their first cases on British soil sooner than they expected and the director had had to take the decision to appoint Harry as the head of the new virus ward, not even giving Harry the chance to even arrange the rest of his staff, simply choosing anyone that was willing to step up, which wasn't a great selection.

There was an eight year old who had been admitted yesterday as a suspected case that had just been confirmed. Two more nine year olds had been admitted with the same symptoms only a few hours before, orphans who lived in the same house as the first patient, so it was assumed they were also suffering. Harry had been in his office going over notes from cases in mainland Europe when he noticed Fort enter the ward with someone else. Harry assumed the man was here for a reason and thought it would be a good idea to introduce himself, only to find that he didn't have to.

"Severus? What are you…" then it hit him, "oh, you're the potions master they've consulted. Thank merlin it's you. If anyone can solve this I know you can."

"Indeed, and you? This isn't your ward is it?" 

"Transferred," and wasn't that the understatement of the century. "I've only just been informed of this myself so I'm as in the dark as you are at the moment." There was no point beating about the bush and Harry found that Severus always appreciated his honesty before. 

"Who is the lead on this? I'd like to ask them a few questions about these patients."

This was the awkward part. "Erm, I am."

A number of emotions flitted across Severus's face: confusion, disbelief, anger and fear among them. Harry noticed that Severus was about to say something and, not being sure what was about to come out of his mouth, Harry held his hand up to stop him and motioned to his office. "Excuse us for a minute, Fort," Harry said, not actually caring what the man thought at the moment.

Severus followed close behind him and Harry cast a silencing spell as soon as the door was shut.

"I didn't mean to offend you," Severus started as soon as the spell was up, "I have every faith in your ability as a mediwizard, I'm just…"

"Surprised that someone as inexperienced as me would be the lead in such a delicate situation." Harry finished his sentence for him, letting all of his bitterness out. "This affliction, whatever it is, has a 30% death rate. No healer wants that on their record." Harry included, but he hadn't been able to say no when he knew he was needed, damn hero complex! "I'm the fall guy." 

Severus stepped up and gave him a hug. Harry felt all the tension of the morning drain out of him as he half collapsed into his boyfriend. "I'm here with you. Every step of the way."

Harry could have cried with relief, the now disastrous situation had a silver lining after all, "if anyone can find an effective treatment it's you." Harry chose to simply nodded his head, not wanting to move it from its position on Severus's shoulder for fear the man would see straight through him.

Taking a deep breath to calm his raging emotions, Harry straightened up his robes. "Shall we get to work then?"

Severus stayed with him as they spent the next hour looking over their three patients, all exhibiting the same high fever, low energy and erratic amounts of magical energy being drained from their cores. It was nearing midnight by that point and Harry was probably on about 4 hours sleep and he had a feeling he wasn't going to be getting any more any time soon. Knowing that they weren't going to learn anything more from his patients, he led Severus back to his office so they could go over their notes together.

"It's intricately attached to their cores," Harry observed, "it's almost as though it's feeding from the cores."

Severus nodded in agreement. "Which is why I think such a high percentage of survivors end up squibs. It's feeding on their magic and once the magic is gone so is the virus. I'm willing to bet that the ones who come out with their magic are older, in their mid teens, nearer magical maturity. It doesn't want mature magic. We need to discover why? Perhaps we can fight it off by adding mature magic to the core?"

"But how do we do that?" Harry asked, rubbing his face to try and wake himself up.

"I don't know Harry."

Just then Nurse Farley came rushing in, panic clear across her face. "Healer Potter! Come quick!" 

Harry darted out the door straight to the youngest patient. Harry quickly ran the full barrage of diagnostic tests and the results weren't good. "He's not breathing. Nurse the resuscitation spells, now."

The nurse began reciting the incantations as Harry brought up a projection of the child's magical core. The picture nearly sickened Harry, the boy's core was near black with where the virus had eaten away at it. Only two slithers of blue remained and cracks were beginning to show at the heart of the core. "Severus?" Harry was out of ideas, he'd never seen anything like this before.

"Keep him alive until the last of his magic has left his core," Severus advised, "he may be able to be resuscitated once the virus has finished feeding off the core."

Severus ran to the potions cabinet and, after a quick search came racing back with a potion in hand. 

"Do it," Harry said, turning off the projection so he could see what Severus had brought over, a rejuvenation potion, before stepping back to allow the man to administer it. Bringing up the projection again, Harry felt a flash of hope as he noticed the slivers of magic were slightly bigger. "It's doing something."

"Yes but it's revitalised the magic slightly which means the virus will remain in the core to feed."

"Not if the magic has enough strength to fight off the virus," Harry argued, refusing to give up hope. "His vitals have come up too." Harry gave the signal for Nurse Farley to stop the procedures. "Let's see if he's breathing on his own."

Severus placed a hand on the boy's chest. "He's breathing."

"His pulse is back as well," Harry announced, checking the pulse point on the boy's neck, "shall we give him another dose to help his magic?"

"I'm not sure,"

"Fuck!" Severus said those three words and Harry's hope dissolved. Severus had been a rock in his life, a near constant since he was 11 who had managed to stay one step ahead of Voldemort while spying on him. If Severus didn't know what to do, what chance did Harry have. "Well done, Nurse Farley, you take your break now. I'll stay with the patients." The poor woman was clearly out of her depth having only finished her training a few months ago and Harry didn't want to see her burn herself out. This was only the beginning after all: things were only going to get worse from here on out. She nodded, clearly relieved to be able to get away and Harry collapsed in a chair as soon as she'd left, uncaring of showing weakness in front of Severus. 

"He's going to die." It was a startling realisation and one that definitely didn't sit well with him. "Fuck, fuck, fuck."

An idea suddenly struck him and Harry he brought up the core projections of the other two patients. Their cores also contained more black than they had a few hours ago. They were simply delaying the inevitable but Harry grit his teeth, refusing to fall into despair. He would be no use to any of them if that happened and Harry refused to give up the fight before it had even begun.

"I think the revitalization potion raised his vitals and perhaps gave him a few more minutes but I believe the virus will take hold again soon." Severus said as they watched the boys vitals drop again.

"What if we administer another revitalization potion once the cores completely burnt out," Harry suggested. He knew he was grasping at straws but he had to try something.

"We can try," Severus said, although it was clear he was only humouring Harry. "Perhaps we should call his family?"

"Orphans. All three of them. One of their carers has just returned from a holiday in Spain. I think he brought it back with him." The poor man had been distraught at the idea that he might have been the cause of the children's illness despite the fact that there was no way he could have known of the danger of travelling given the information blackout. 

It only took 10 minutes for the boy to stop breathing again. Harry desperately began reciting the resuscitation spells as Severus watched the core, potion in hand ready to administer it. The last of the core slowly turned black then, at the last second, there was a flash of blue light and the core exploded. Harry stared in shock even as he continued to repeat the spells, watching as the boy's vitals dropped. This couldn't be happening, he couldn't lose someone already, it was only the first day for Merlin's sake. Harry opened the boys mouth to administer the potion, desperate to do anything to prevent the inevitable.

"He's gone," said Severus, his hand on Harry's wrist stopping him from doing anything more.

Harry nodded, already knowing it was too late. The boy's magical core had completely gone, magic could do no more for him. 

"Time of death 1:24am" Harry announced, going to record it in his chart. He felt numb though he knew the grief would hit him later. When Nurse Farley returned from her break Harry asked her to call the boy's guardians, not feeling up to the task himself, and went into his office, Severus following close behind. 

"I think that the revitalization potions can be used to treat the older children. If you get any further admissions treat any of them older than 14 with them. One potion every hour. Keep an eye on the core. If my theory is correct then their more mature magic will naturally fight it off. The potion will help to strengthen the immature magic so that it isn't eaten up by the virus."

"But will it cure them?" It may have seemed a slightly callous reaction to some but it was what Harry needed: a way of possibly saving others, a silver lining to an otherwise black moment, something to be gained by the tragedy of an untimely death. 

"I think they may be able to fight it off completely. I'm not sure about the younger ones. I think the potions may be detrimental. I need to get through the notes to get a better idea of what we're dealing with."

Harry nodded. It wasn't much but it was a start. Any lives they could save would be a win but the death of younger ones would be devastating and, if tonight was anything to go by then there would be many. He didn't think the other two children would last long and the thought of going home to an empty house after that chilled him. "Will you go to mine? Please?" 

"Of course."

"Thank you." Just knowing that Severus would be there waiting for him gave Harry a renewed vigor. "I'll join you in the morning as soon as I can get away and we can discuss theories when we are both fully up to speed." 

Severus nodded. "Don't burn yourself out," he said as he was leaving. 

"I won't." I can't, Harry thought. The night was still young and the cases would soon be coming in thick and fast. He would have to fortify himself, grief was a luxury he would indulge in when it was all over, when hopefully there would be some victories to help counter the losses . 

His grim predictions turned out to be correct. He took turns with Nurse Farley checking the patients stats and cores, watching the slow deterioration. In between he tried to read as many of the notes from other patients as he could, trying to get an idea of how this virus worked in an effort to make some headway on some sort of treatment. It was sometime around 3am that 3 new patients were brought up from the emergency department, siblings who were all exhibiting symptoms, a 3 year old, a 10 year old and a 16 year old. As soon as Harry saw the youngest his heart dropped. If Severus was correct and age was a determining factor in survival rate then there was little hope in that little one lasting long.

He started the suggested treatment on the eldest straight away and quickly saw an improvement in his vitals which gave him some hope though they kept him sedated just in case. With any luck they would have at least one survivor. 

Harry was in the process of passing things over to the next shift when one of the orphans started to crash. He quickly brought up the core as Healer Jarvis worked the resuscitation spells but it was no use. As with the previous case the slivers of magic slowly blacked out before a flash of light and the core exploded. Jarvis was shocked, he was also fairly inexperienced, having recently started his second year on the "Dangerous" Dai Llewellyn ward for serious bites. The poor man had never seen anything like this before and was clearly shaken. Harry sent him off to get a cup of tea while he dealt with ringing the carers.

The second phone call they would receive in a few hours. Harry made sure to suggest talking to a mind healer about coping with grief, especially for the poor guy that was the likely carrier. That was not a level of guilt Harry would wish on anyone. He also got the carers to check the other children in their care while he was talking to them. Thankfully the next youngest child was 15 and displaying no symptoms causing Harry to breathe a sigh of relief.

So it was nearly 9 o'clock when Harry finally stumbled through the floo, bone weary but more glad than ever knowing that Severus would be there. He made his way into the kitchen to put the kettle on and his heart warmed to see the man comfortably sitting at his kitchen table, papers strewn all over the place, a mug of cooling tea at his elbow. The man had probably been working all night. 

"Hey," Harry said, bending down to kiss his cheek, "I lost another one an hour ago and another three were admitted from the emergency department." He knew that if Severus was to come up with any sort of treatment plan then he would need all the information he could get. 

"Core?" 

"Shattered again on the one who died. The third one seems to be slowing the virus's progression; I think the virus is burning out on it's own. The others that were admitted were siblings: a three year old, ten year old and a 16 year old. We've been giving the 16 year old the revitalization potions and it seems to be working. He's still sedated though."

"Not one of the patients who died was older than 13…" Harry instantly thought of the fact that 3 of his patients were younger than that and he feared what that might mean for them. "I'd extend it to give the revitalization potion to any patients over 13. There is a definite connect between the magical maturity." It wouldn't do much to help Harry's current patients but he didn't doubt there would be more cases by the time he started his next shift. Hopefully the revitalization potion would help the patients who recovered retain their magic. After all it wasn't much of an achievement if his patients survived only to become squibs. 

Harry finished making tea for both of them and they continued going over notes. There was a lot of information to go through and Harry was running on fumes. It wasn't long before the words started to blur and he felt his eyelids drooping.

Severus must have noticed his state as well. "You need to sleep," the man said, standing up and offering Harry his hand.

Harry accepted and allowed himself to fall into the man. He felt the warmth next to him and decided to push his luck. "You need sleep too. Stay with me." Harry knew it made him sound needy but he was physically and emotionally drained and didn't particularly care at that moment.

"I'll stay with you."

Harry nodded, and led Severus back to his bedroom, allowing himself a moment of happiness. "Do you want a shower or anything?" 

"That can wait until later."

Harry understood, he wasn't sure if he would make it through a shower himself. Instead he simply stripped down to his boxers, Severus following suit, and climbed into bed. Harry snuggled into Severus's chest, falling asleep as Severus's arms wrapped around him, knowing it wouldn't be long until he was called back in.

He wasn't wrong. Only 5 hours later he woke to his floo madly chiming as a call came in from the ward. There had been 5 new admissions in the few hours he'd been away and the three year old had just passed away. Poor Jarvis was a wreck and was in no fit state to inform the family. Harry said he'd be through as soon as he could and his colleague sighed with relief. He grabbed a quick shower and refreshed his robes from the night before before going to wake Severus. He felt bad about interrupting the man's sleep but knew it would be rude to leave without saying anything. 

Harry explained the situation and almost laughed when Severus's only reaction was to ask whether he'd had anything to eat. It had been a long time since he'd had anyone worry about him like that and it felt nice. 

"I'm going to grab something from the canteen when I get in," Harry reassured him, stepping in for a hug. "This is just the start isn't it?"

Severus didn't answer him, simply hugging him tighter. "I'll be at the hospital soon."

"Thank you," Harry replied knowing that knowledge alone would help him get through a lot. He kissed Severus goodbye and flooed to St Mungos. 

The ward was near chaos when he got in, his colleagues clearly not prepared for the sudden influx of patients. His first port of call was the dreaded call to the three year olds parents. They were unsurprisingly devastated at the loss of their daughter but Harry was glad he was able to soften the blow with news of their eldests treatment and the fact that he was on his way to making a full recovery, Harry having quickly checked the boys notes to be sure. The parents were clearly relieved and spent some time talking to Harry; the boy was a Ravenclaw and had scored well in his O.W.Ls the previous summer and was actually hoping to follow Harry's footsteps and become a healer. Harry promised to talk to Professors McGonagall and Flitwick and watch the boys progress which obviously pleased the parents.

This was a part of the job that he hadn't realised about until he started; that you often had to look after the health of the rest of the family and not just the direct patient. More so in this case than any other that Harry had faced so far. There was a good chance the ten year old wouldn't make it, especially if he and Severus couldn't come up with anything soon, in which case the family would all need to pull together to support each other through such a tragedy. 

There was a lot to do after that, what with making sorting out the new patients that had been brought in, going over their histories and setting up a monitoring system. Harry ended up asking Nurse Farley to grab him something from the canteen as he had no chance to go himself, especially as there were another two admissions, a brother and sister, the younger of whom was only 5, bringing the total number of patients up to 10. Harry had the unfortunate job of explaining the situation to the parents. It was a tricky job trying not to sound defeatist without giving them false hope. He almost breathed a sigh of relief when Severus caught his eye though it wasn't a great sight to see him standing next to Fort since he was aware they used to be together. He wrapped things up with the children's parents as quickly as he could and followed them into his office. If Severus was here with Fort it likely meant he had come up with an idea. 

"You want to try something new," Harry said as he shut the door behind him. There was no point beating about the bush. 

"Mild magic blockers - Sylvester tells me St Mungo's uses them in cases of Dragon Pox in Muggleborns?"

Of course, why hadn't Harry considered that. "Yes! That could work." It was obvious now he thought about it, if the magic was blocked then there would be nothing for the virus to feed off and it should burn out quickly. Trust Severus to see a solution that was right in front of their faces.

"They are only mild doses. If there is any development then I would like to develop something similar to treat the virus, " and that was what Harry admired so much about the man. He was sure that if it had been Fort the man would have simply left it at the basic magic blockers if it worked, but not Severus. His boyfriend would work at it until he found the optimum solution, not just so the patients survived but so they suffered as few after effects as possible. The man was truly Harry's hero.

Harry held his hands out for the potions they'd brought with them. "I'm assuming you want to treat the teenagers in the same way so you're going to want to test these on three cases? The worst, middle and mildest."

"That would be for the best, yes," Severus replied.

Harry had read enough clinical studies to know how they worked. He looked over his notes to his notes to work out the best cases, knowing he had to be clinical about his decision. Emotions weren't helpful in this situation, they needed the best possible answers as mistakes or delays would cost more lives in the long run. Harry hated being the one who had to make the decision but that is what came with leadership roles.

Having made the decision Harry led the two potions masters back into the ward and instructed the nurses to separate the beds of the three patients to be tested: the 5 year old that had come in earlier, his 10 year old sister and an infant that had come in the night before. A part of him had wanted to include the orphan from the night before but they had been infected far longer than the others and there was a chance the virus would burn out on its own, possibly invalidating the results of the test.

Harry carefully recorded their vitals before projecting the patients' cores and administering the potions. The cores dulled significantly, a sign that the potion was working and the magic was blocked.

"The potion lasts for four hours. Perhaps I should get you both a seat while you wait." Admittedly he was mostly thinking of Severus who he knew was working on as little sleep as he was.

"I'll stand," Severus said. Harry noticed Fort nod as well although he had a feeling the man only did as he didn't want to seem weak next to Severus.

"Fort, you know how to update patient notes correctly I assume? I'd prefer there not to be any errors?" If this worked it could prove to be a significant breakthrough that would affect the entire European magical community. Harry didn't want set-backs because of the man's shoddy work. He knew Severus was likely shocked at his attitude but Harry found it hard to suppress his dislike of the man.

"I'm not incompetent Healer Potter." 

Harry would strongly disagree but, wanting to be as professional as he could, he chose to simply shrug and walk away, mentally calculating the ways he could kill the man should he mess up Severus's work. 

Harry kept an eye on the test as he continued to monitor his other patients. He would say that he wasn't also keeping an eye on Fort but that would be a lie. It's not that he didn't trust Severus but he definitely didn't trust Fort. Especially if anything came out of this test; any kind of positive result would be huge and catapult Severus's name to fame likely all over the world. Harry didn't care, he'd still want to be with the man even if he was destitute, but Fort was as ambitious as they come and Harry wouldn't put it past the man to try and make a move. He almost resented having to see to his other patients but it was probably a good thing: he wouldn't want to snap at Fort again and make Severus think he was even more juvenile. 

It only took an hour for changes to occur; the vital signs improved in all of the test patients and the virus seemed to be lessening its grip on the cores. It was little short of a miracle and the relief could be felt around the ward. Fort went back to the potions department to sort out more potions as they would need plenty more if they were to administer them to the rest of the patients in four hour intervals and Severus went to Harry's office to wait for him.

"It's working," Harry cried as he entered the office. 

"Yes though it could be quicker and more effective. While I do believe that these children are now out of danger of imminent death there will still be some loss to their magic. I'm going to return home at once to begin brewing a treatment. I'm sure I can create something that will treat the virus in 24 hours with minimal long lasting effects."

Harry smiled and hugged Severus; he knew he was right to trust this man. "You're a bloody genius," he said, pulling the man in for a kiss.

In hindsight he knew he should be acting more professional at work but he was so relieved that things wouldn't be anywhere near as bleak as he'd initially thought that he'd let his emotions get the better of him. They pulled away quickly but it was too late. Thankfully it was only Fort at the door and, in all fairness, it was probably a good thing for the man to be reminded that Severus was his. 

"I'm sorry I should have knocked," the head of potions said awkwardly.

"Yes Fort, you should have." Harry knew he was being blunt but he just couldn't bring himself to care. He took a step away from the desk and Fort simply bowed his head and left.

"Harry," Severus said, in a low calm voice that held a warning; he clearly wasn't impressed. 

Harry sighed and sat down, rubbing his face. "I know, I'm sorry I'm tired." Harry looked up guiltily. "I know you were together."

Severus seemed confused. "You are jealous?" Was it really so surprising? 

Harry shrugged, hating feeling so pathetic. "Yes and no. I trust you… completely. I just don't trust Fort. I'm not sure if you know but we got into a huge fight in the potions department a few months ago. I was probably being a bit of a dick but I treated a patient with severe magically induced boils. They cleared up pretty quickly but they were left with permanent scars."

"You think it was substandard potions?" 

"I know it was substandard potions. How many times did Hogwarts students end up covered in boils? I don't recall any scaring at all for any of them."

"Yes but I made boil reducing potions at Hogwarts using my own recipe."

"Exactly. It can be done but apparently these lot are the top potions masters in Britain but can't brew a boil reducing potion that doesn't leave scars. Of course I ended up bringing you into it and I think Fort just slipped out with it." Or told me on purpose but Harry didn't want to start throwing accusations around when he couldn't back them up as it would likely only make him look pety. "He just sort of announced that he knew how good your potions were as he was your partner for a number of years. I knew that he hadn't meant potions partner. I just sort of walked out after that and I've been a shit with him ever since - I'm sorry, I'll apologise to him." He'd have to suck up his pride but he'd do it if it made Severus happy. 

Harry was surprised when Severus burst out laughing. It must have shown on his face a Severus looked him in the eye and said with all seriousness, "Harry you have nothing to worry about."

"I don't?" Harry found that a little unbelievable. Fort was a man of high renown, no matter how much Harry contested it; he was highly knowledgeable in a field that Severus was passionate about and, as much as it hurt Harry to admit, he wasn't bad looking. He was also a similar age to Severus which meant they would probably have more in common. Harry sometimes wondered what Severus actually saw in him.

"No you don't. Don't apologise to him either he knew damn well what he was doing when he told you about us."

Harry beamed at him and vowed to continue to treat Fort just as he had been, more glad than ever to be dating a former Slytherin. Who knew their vindictive side could come in so handy. 

It only took Severus two days to refine the magic blocking potion, making it stronger and allowing the brewer to add a bit of their magical signature to it. It was a massive success and Fort took great pride in spreading their results among the wider wizarding community despite the fact that he had played no part in it whatsoever. Harry knew that St Mungos had written to Severus to discuss buying the right to produce it although he had no idea how much they'd ended up paying him. Personally Harry hoped Severus had bled them for all they were worth as they never would have gotten anywhere without him but he had a feeling the man had let them off easily. 

The Daily Prophet was hailing them the medical dream team although Harry didn't feel like he'd done much to deserve the title, and Harry continued to lead the department which was at least a joy now they had a cure. It was nice to be away from Tremblay and Rosier for a bit.

Harry treated Severus to a takeaway the night the potion was officially declared a success and even asked him to stay over again, something that was becoming a bit of a habit, not that Harry minded.

In fact it was a godsend. Now that the worst was over and he could relax a bit, the nightmares came thick and fast and Harry often found his dreams plagued by the faces of those they were unable to save. He'd wake up with tears streaming down his face and Severus would soothe him through the worst of it, never once complaining and Harry's heart was lost a little more to him each time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may have to increase the rating on the next chapter as apparently I have a hard time keeping things PG.
> 
> Like JaneAlpha I've currently kept out Harry and Severus's first time together but I don't mind trying to write something if that's what people want. I can either add it to the chapter or add it as and extra. Let me know what you think.


	9. September

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry's good work has consequences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I upped the rating as unfortunately I have issues keeping my writing pg.

September.

Severus had done well out of the outbreak and was busy every day, much to Harry's delight. Although he always made sure to brew when Harry was at work, so they could make the most of their time together. 

One of the upsides to come out of the outbreak was Harry's sudden switch to day shifts. Harry knew it was due to his increase in profile and it helped that he was actually around whenever the director brought someone round to see "one half of the medical dream team" but he wasn't going to complain as it meant spending time with Severus was a lot easier. They were currently spending most evenings at Harry's and Severus was even staying over whenever Harry had a day off. It was definitely helping Harry's mood at work. A part of him had been dreading going back to his old ward having developed a good relationship with Healer Jarvis, Nurse Farley and the other staff on his unit and the idea of having to go back to Rosier and Tremblay was slightly daunting. Harry almost wished he didn't have to go back at all. 

Things were going well at first but Harry needed to learn to be careful what he wished for as only a week into September he got called into the directors office. Despite the cure, it appeared that some hospitals were still struggling with the virus and, given Harry's role in the outbreak, he had been put forward to go help.

"But I didn't do all that much, sir," Harry argued. 

"On the contrary, Mr Potter, I have received nothing but glowing reports from your colleagues on the ward who said you conducted yourself with strength and compassion, especially in the early days before we had a cure. The families and guardians have also informed me of how well you explained the situation to them, being understanding and informative without making false promises. You have done the hospital proud."

Harry was shocked. He hadn't thought he was doing anything special, he was just doing his job as far as he could tell, but he didn't feel like it was a good idea to argue with the director. 

"Still, sir, surely a more experienced healer would be a better choice to send to help the hospital in Bulgaria." Harry didn't want to sound ungrateful, truthfully it was an excellent opportunity, but the thought of having to spend so long away from Severus was distressing. 

"Nonsense. No one has more experience at St Mungos of dealing with this virus that you and you have already had experience of helping a foreign hospital. Mr Fazier, the director of the hospital in Egypt, made a very strong case for your transfer there so I know you will do well."

Harry didn't feel like he could object any more. "I'll have to talk to my partner then, sir. I don't think he'd be too happy if I didn't at least run kt by him before making a decision as big as this."

"Of course, of course. Married myself so I understand. Mrs Rainford would have kittens if I walked in and told her I'm off for the month. Just inform him what a great opportunity this is for you, Master Snape is an intelligent man, he'll understand. I expect your answer in the next couple of days."

It was with a heavy heart that Harry flooed to Severus's.

"I thought I was meeting you at yours in an hour? Is something wrong?" In truth Harry had completely forgotten about that in his despair he'd just needed to see the man straight away. 

"Sorry were you brewing?" he asked, walking up to Severus and giving him a quick kiss hello.

"I was but I put a stasis charm up. What's going on?" 

Harry recognised Severus's impatient tone and knew there was no point in prolonging the inevitable. "There's an issue with the virus in Bulgaria. The wizarding communities are so spread out there that they've had to send healers out across the country, and neighbouring countries in fact, to the outreach communities. It's left them extremely short-handed at the hospital. St Mungo's have offered them my services to keep them on an even keel at the hospital until the healers return." Harry bit his lip, wondering how Severus was going to react. 

"When are you going?" 

"I haven't agreed to it yet." Harry was a little surprised at Severus's lack of reaction, did the man want time away from him that badly?

"You haven't agreed? Why not?" 

"I wanted to see how you felt about it first. I'll not go if you don't want me to. " He looked down, not wanting to see rejection in the man's eyes, hoping that this was just Severus being his usual logical self and not a way of breaking things off. He tolk heart in the knowledge that Severus was usually to the point and wouldn't toy with Harry's feelings if he truly wanted to end things.

"And you'd be happy with that choice would you? Remaining here while your expertise is needed to help seriously ill children." 

Logical Severus it was, Harry sighed with relief. "No, but I've never been a selfish person and I'd have thought it only logical to inform one's partner to see how they feel before jetting off abroad." It would also be nice if Severus would try and see things from his point of view, wouldn't the man miss him at all?

"Harry. You must go. I'll still be here when you get back."

And maybe that was it, that was why Severus could look at this so logically, because, in the long run, what was a month or so of not seeing each other when children's futures were at stake. Maybe Harry was a selfish person after all. "You could visit me if you like, if you're not too busy of course." Harry really couldn't imagine not getting to see this man at all for any length of time. 

"We shall see I'm sure you'll be busy too." That was true but there would always be some downtime and Harry knew it would be unbearably lonely without Severus. His pain must have shown on his face as Severus pulled him into a tight hug. "We can firecall every day if you wish it. I suspect you'll be back before the month's out."

"They think four weeks maximum…two if we're lucky." It still seemed like an eternity to Harry. "I'm going to bloody miss you," he said, laying his head on Severus's shoulder.

"The feeling's mutual I assure you," Severus replied, lifting Harry's chin and giving him a heart-felt kiss. "When do they want you?"

Harry shrugged. "The morning probably, give them time to sort out a portkey."

"Go and pack. I'll finish off this potion and I'll come over. I'll bring your travel sickness potions. Don't cook. We'll get a takeaway."

"Ok, I'll go, see you soon." He gave Severus one last kiss before heading to the floo. He did need to contact the director and let him know he was actually going after all. 

Mr Rainford had, unsurprisingly, been overjoyed when Harry said he'd be going saying he knew all along and had the portkey waiting. Harry had to use the excuse of his travel sickness to get the man to postpone his trip to tomorrow. He was busy packing his bag when Severus came in.

"There are spells for that you know."

Harry shrugged. "I never learned them." The trouble of growing up in a muggle household. 

Severus simply waved his wand and completed the job in the blink of an eye. "I'll get you a book." The sarcastic tone of his voice was eased by his arms coming up around Harry's waist.

"Severus? Will you look after the place while I'm away?" Harry asked, turning to face him. There was something about the idea of Severus pottering about the place while he was away that Harry found comforting. 

"Of course. I'll be here most days tending the garden. Without you here distracting me I should be finished by the time you return." There was something about the matter-of-fact way that Severus said that that made Harry smile.

The idea that Severus found him a distraction was also appealing, though Harry obviously hoped he was a good distraction. "You love distractions. Shall we order some food and open a nice fine bottle of red?"

"That sounds wonderful but what sounds even better is staying right here."

Harry found himself being walked back until the back of his legs hit the bed, giving him some idea of what Severus had in mind. "And what are we supposed to do here?" he asked with a smirk.

"I'll show you," Severus said before pushing Harry back and claiming his mouth in a fierce kiss. Harry's hips arched up of their own accord eliciting a moan from the man above and deepening their kiss further. They continued making out for a few minutes to the point where Harry was moments away from finishing in his pants, thoroughly enjoying the makeout session, when Severus stilled his movements. 

Harry looked up questioningly only to be answered by Severus covering his face with kisses while he undid Harry's belt buckle and lowered the zip on his jeans before sliding them down over his hips. He caught Harry's mouth in another passionate kiss as he grasped hold of Harry's already weeping cock. 

"Are you sure?" Harry asked. This was further than they had gone before and he didn't want Severus to feel like he had to do anything he wasn't comfortable with.

"I'm sure if you are." Harry didn't bother answering or even analysing that comment, opting for trying to kiss the life out of the man instead.

They continued to kiss for a moment before Severus pulled away, grabbing hold of Harry's hand and lacing their fingers together. He then proceeded to trail kisses all over Harry's body and, despite the fact that they were both still mostly clothed, Harry had never felt more cherished. When Severus reached the bare skin of his hips he placed a few sucking kisses along the sensitive skin of Harry's hip bones before moving on to take Harry into his mouth.

Harry wasn't sure if it was the man's skill or the build up but he felt like he was in heaven. He ended up tightly fisting the sheet, tensing his hips in an attempt to keep from thrusting up into the moist warmth that was Severus's mouth. He tried everything he could think of to stave off the inevitable but when the man moved his tongue like that, it was a losing battle that Harry was more than happy to surrender to.

It was over far sooner than he would have liked and Harry was left panting with the sheer force of his orgasm as Severus crawled up to lay next to him.

"Wow," it was hardly articulate but Harry's brain wasn't currently functioning at maximum capacity. He turned to look at Severus who seemed a little flustered. "Can I return the favour?" 

Severus merely laughed. "Another time. As wonderful as that sounds, I'm fairly traditional and the only way I want to climax with you for the first time is while I'm making love to you."

"Merlin I'll climax again if you keep talking like that." Harry's cock had given a valiant twitch at the idea of being filled by Severus's more than adequate member, if the bulge in his trousers was anything to go by. He would definitely have to spend his time away preparing himself; not that he'd be short of fantasies given the amazing blowjob he'd just received. It bad been a while since he'd last been with someone now though, and he didn't want to end up accidentally ruining the moment.

"Now that would be a feat," Severus said, pulling Harry to lie on his shoulder. "Come, let's get cleaned up and have something to eat."

"I'd love to stay in bed with you all night," Harry said, snuggling into his shoulder. In fact Harry had half a mind to tell the Bulgarian hospital to go fuck themselves but he assumed that would be more likely to result in a lecture than more sex. 

"We have things to do and it's already past six," Severus replied, urging Harry up. Harry tried pouting but to no avail so gave up the fight for now. After all Severus had promised to still be here when Harry got back and he was a man of his word. Harry could wait another month.

Their parting the next day had been sad and even Severus seemed to understand the loss it would be. At least Harry was kept busy on his side of things; he really didn't have much time to think about anything other than work. 

The problem at the Bulgarian hospital wasn't just the lack of healers or the patients that came in from numerous countries, the next nearest hospital being in Athens. No, their biggest problem was their under staffed, under funded potions department. It wasn't that the potion masters were bad, honestly Harry would take them over Fort any day, it's that their facilities were woefully inadequate for the size of the hospital or the variety of cases they had to cater for. Harry was constantly having to argue why his need for the cure for the virus was more important than what some other healer required. This meant that they were frequently short and often ended up having to ration doses. It was a terrible decision to have to make, choosing between saving fewer people but fully or more people but leaving them with permanent damage to their magical cores, and quite frankly it killed Harry every time. It also caused a massive backlog of patients which also meant more work as there were more people to keep monitoring instead of being able to discharge them.

It meant that his work was exhausting, both mentally and physically, but Harry always made sure to be back at his apartment in time for his daily firecall with Severus. Those calls were the one bright side of his day and nothing would stop him from making them. It was a bit of a running joke in the department but given that Harry would always return after if he was needed, no one complained.

Despite being constantly exhausted Harry still struggled to get to sleep when he got back to his room. He knew it was the lack of Severus's presence. At home he refused to wash his sheets until the day before he knew Severus would be sleeping over again. It was a little sad he knew but he liked that the sheets still smelled of him and Harry always knew he would get a good night's sleep then.

Harry also knew this was the reason why he always dragged out their nightly fire-calls but he couldn't help it. This was why, about a week and a half into his secondment, Harry ended up begging Severus to come visit and Severus agreed. It would only be for an evening but at least it was something. His colleagues were shocked to see the size of the grin on his face when he returned but agreed to rearrange shifts so Harry could be off whenever Severus got there.

It took three days for Severus to get a portkey, arranging to get there for 3pm so he could finish his orders. Harry didn't mind as it meant he could work an early shift and not have to worry about getting back to work. He had big plans for this evening: if he was going to be seeing so little of Severus for the next couple of weeks he was going to make damn sure the man missed him.

Harry was in the middle of checking over the latest batch of patients when he noticed Severus arrive. 

"You're a sight for sore eyes," he said as he walked over grabbing the man's arm in greeting. They were in Eastern Europe after all and while the wizarding community in general may be fine with homosexual relationships some of the people, especially in remote areas, weren't.

"I thought you were being a bit dramatic but this is worse than I ever imagined," Severus said, indicating the beds that were strewn all over the wards. In truth Harry had actually been downplaying the state of things here, not wanting to worry the man, but he could understand Severus's disbelief. St Mungo's would never get to this state. "I've bought you 200 doses of the potion."

Harry stared in disbelief as Severus un-shrunk the box in his hand. "Thank you. It's just a nightmare we're lucky if we can give them two doses a day."

"Would you like me to send more?" 

Harry frowned, "What about your orders?" He didn't want Severus using his time and resources, especially if he wasn't getting compensated. The man needed to earn a living after all.

"I'll manage. Plus if it gets you home quicker it benefits me doesn't it?" It was true, at the moment Harry had no idea when he'd be able to go home. 

Harry beamed, he certainly couldn't argue with that logic. He managed to restrain himself to just grabbing Severus's hand now, mentally reminding himself of what he had planned for later. "I just need to do the handover and we can leave." 

"I'll wait at the door for you." He said as Harry took the potions to his colleagues.

The other staff were unsurprisingly overjoyed at Severus's gift with one of the nurses even offering herself up in exchange for more potions which earned her a glare from Harry and a reminder that she definitely wasn't his type. At least Harry had the green light to leave, with promises that he would definitely not be disturbed under any circumstances. 

"Did you want to go out for food?" Severus asked when Harry finally got back to him, "my Portkey is due to return me in four hours."

Not long at all, Harry would definitely have to make the most of every minute. "I plan to keep you at my apartment for the duration." Harry flashed Severus a smirk and the man's eyes flashed with desire. Oh yes, it was going to be a good four hours.

That night Harry had the best night's sleep he'd had in weeks and woke up refreshed if somewhat sore. 

He was very surprised when, a week later, they received another delivery of potions from Severus which resulted in a round of cat calls causing Harry to blush.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to read about their first time there is a separate story. It slips in right at the end if this chapter.


	10. October

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry has a proposition for Severus.

October.

The initial estimate of 2-4 weeks entirely underestimated the extent of the problem in Bulgaria and Harry had to wonder whether they had just picked numbers at random or if there was something more nefarious at work.

The second lot of potions Severus sent did a lot to help though it did cause Harry to get into an argument with the director of the Bulgarian hospital. The man had planned to try and exploit Severus and get the man to produce more potions for free instead of increasing his own potions department. It took Harry threatening to destroy the potions and walk out for the man to relent but it was a close call.

The extra staff in the potions department allowed them to set someone aside to solely brew the cure for the virus, finally allowing them to get a handle on the backlog of patients, thus clearing up more space for all the other patients that were still coming in. They were also able to send more potions out into the wider community which allowed the other healers to return.

So it was October by the time Harry was finally able to return home and what a sight that greeted him. Severus had obviously been hard at work, his garden was absolutely gorgeous with bright, colourful flowers everywhere he looked and even a few trees that would create some lovely shade next summer.

"It's amazing," Harry gasped, a smile spreading over his face. 

"Am I to take your presence as your long awaited return?" Severus tried to sound cool and calm but Harry saw the flash of a smile around his lips.

Harry smirked as he walked properly into the garden. "It does, now get over here and kiss me."

Severus barely blinked before striding over and wrapping Harry up in his arms, kissing him passionately. God he had missed this. "Do you have to be anywhere?" Harry asked. He hoped that Severus didn't have any plans for the rest of the day as he didn't plan on letting the man go anytime soon. 

"Not now I don't."

Harry grinned. "Excellent. I'm thinking we order an Indian then we just lay on the sofa all night and watch a rubbish film with no thought process involved." 

"I don't think you own a film that has a thought process."

Harry made an exaggerated gasp and slapped Severus on the arm. Honestly the man was a master of sarcasm.

Their evening was spent exactly as Harry had planned, even eating their food on the sofa instead of at the table, which they almost never did. Afterwards they cuddled up together and watched some action film. Harry spent a lot of the time explaining things that would be strange to most wizards, he knew Severus grew up in the muggle world and was fairly knowledgeable about things but it was a habit he'd picked up from watching so many films with the Weasleys and he couldn't seem to shake it. They also shared some very heated kisses and Harry was hoping for a repeat of their evening in Bulgaria but he must have fallen asleep at some stage as Severus had to shake him awake.

"You're exhausted," he said, gently kissing Harry's forehead. 

"Who's the healer here?" Harry asked with a yawn.

"You shouldn't let yourself get run down like this." What Harry didn't tell Severus was the director of the Bulgarian hospital had wanted Harry to stay longer and had said Harry couldn't possibly leave while he still had patients to attend to so Harry had worked double shifts to make sure he'd cured all of the patients by the time the other healers returned so he could make sure he got back before the director could come up with some other excuse to get him to stay. "Go up to bed. I'll tidy up down here?" 

"Are you staying?" Harry wasn't sure he could take another night alone now that he was back.

"If you like." Harry almost laughed. He was pretty sure Severus would never assume he was staying despite the fact that Harry hoped to never spend a night alone again. 

"I'll see you upstairs then." He'd been doing a lot of thinking in Bulgaria, especially after Severus's visit, and he hoped to be able to talk to Severus about things soon. Unfortunately he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. 

In the morning Harry awoke in Severus's arms and couldn't help but smile. It was still early since his body had got used to waking up at ridiculous o'clock in Bulgaria and he snuggled in to enjoy Severus's warmth, knowing he didn't have to go into work for hours.

The only problem was he couldn't turn off his brain and enjoy the moment. While he was away Harry had realised how much his life now revolved around Severus, when he could next see the man and how much time they'd get to spend together. It had gotten to the stage where he always arranged to meet up with Ron and Hermione in the mornings as that was when Severus was usually brewing. He loved the days that Severus stayed over and hated it when the man had to go back to his, for work. They got on well when they were together so it was only logical that they think about moving in together, right?

Harry wasn't sure: he'd never wanted to actually live with anyone before. He'd asked Hermione's advice while he was away and she said it was the right time if it felt right but just because it was right for Harry didn't mean it was also right for Severus, the man was a traditionalist after all. It was simply that the idea of spending another night apart was filling Harry with dread. He supposed he should have a little more faith in their relationship as well, Severus wouldn't kick him to the curb for suggesting it. Even if he was opposed he would just tell Harry straight and they could move on. Probably. It wasn't like the man wasn't already halfway moved in already: he had a draw in the bedroom, half the products in the bathroom were his and it was his favourite brand of tea that was always stocked in the cupboard.

Unfortunately all this thinking was making Harry twitchy which was disturbing Severus's sleep. Not wanting to wake the man Harry carefully slipped out of bed and, checking the time, decided to make Severus a cooked breakfast.

He was in the middle of frying the eggs when Severus entered the kitchen, already washed and dressed. "Have you been to the shops?" he asked, clearly eyeing up the breakfast things. 

"Just the corner one to get some essentials. I'll do a proper shop later on." Severus was eyeing him suspiciously and it was making Harry twitchy again. "Sit down, it's just about ready," anything to get out from under Severus's scrutinising gaze. 

"What is all this in aid of?" 

Harry shrugged. "I just wanted to treat you," and put you in a good mood, he thought, not that that was working. Damn that man! 

Harry brought the breakfast over hoping that the food would distract him but no such luck. "Thank you, it looks wonderful but please, if there's something on your mind I'd prefer it if you just told me."

At least Harry now understood how he managed to survive spying on Voldemort, absolutely nothing got past him. Harry sighed, may as well get this over with and deal with the consequences. He'd spent the last hour contemplating arguments and counter arguments, waiting wasn't going to change anything. 

"I thought really hard about this so I'd like it if you didn't interrupt me until I've finished," Severus nodded although he looked very apprehensive but Harry decided to ignore that and plough on. "I'd like it if you moved in with me here. Now I know you've got Spinner's End, and it's a lovely home, and your potions business is all set up from there, I just thought this place was a little more practical with the garden. I was thinking that I'd finally clear out the spare room which could be your potions lab. If you wanted you could even use the study as your study…Merlin knows I only use it to floo in and out." In all fairness Harry was more than willing to move to Severus's if that was what it took but Harry's place was a bit bigger and he figured that would probably be better in the long term.

Severus was just staring at him so Harry decided to continue, the extended silence making him uncomfortable. "Of course this place is fully paid for so I wouldn't expect any money off you… we could split the shopping." Still nothing. "I also had another crazy idea that you might hate but I'm going to tell you about it anyway. You could rent out Spinner's End and use that money to rent your own potions shop. The little shop next to Wizarding Wheezes has just come up to rent; I've heard that the rent's pretty reasonable. You could give Slug and Jiggers a run for their money."

Still nothing, though Harry figured that must be a good thing as at least it meant Severus was thinking about it. If he was completely against it surely he'd have told Harry to shut up long ago. Harry tried to be patient and let Severus sort through the jumbled mess that was his proposal but his anxiety got the better of him. "It's too soon isn't it?"

Before Harry could fall too much into despair Severus reached across the table and grabbed his hand. "It isn't. I was merely considering the logistics of your proposal. I couldn't imagine anything I'd want more than to wake up by your side every day."

"There's just a lot to mull over," Harry said, outwardly projecting an air of calm while inside he was jumping for joy. "I also realise that I'm asking you to give up your childhood home." Harry had never known what that was like but he knew it could be important to some people. 

"That wouldn't bother me," Severus quickly replied, "although it is a big change for me can you give me some time to think it through?" 

"Yes of course, I didn't expect an answer right away," as nice as that would have been. Now all Harry had to do was concentrate on the fact that it was when Severus would move in and not if. He would just have to wait for the man to leave to do his happy dance. 

Thankfully it turned out he didn't have to wait long. Through some miracle Harry was still on day shifts and had the weekend off so he was looking forward to seeing Severus on Friday and had barely got in himself, having done the shopping for them, when Severus walked into the living room with a box in his hands.

"I didn't expect you this early. What's in the box?" Harry asked, still putting the food away.

"This is the first box of around twenty which contain all my belongings."

Harry couldn't believe his ears as he turned to look at Severus, trying to figure out if he was joking or not. "You're moving in?" 

"If you'll have me." Was the man insane, of course he'd have him.

Harry was across the room in an instant, carefully taking the box out of Severus's hands before pouncing on the man and snogging the living daylights out of him. 

After a minute Severus pulled back. "Sit down for a minute before we get carried away then we can talk this through."

"You're moving in this weekend right?" Harry asked eagerly as Severus sat down next to him on the sofa. "I don't think I can wait any longer."

"I am. Now I've thought long and hard about the potions shop you suggested but I've decided that for the time being I'd prefer to keep Spinner's End Potions as it is if you'd still let me set up a potions lab in the spare room," Harry nodded, still not believing this was happening, "The reason being that Spinner's End is going to need a large part of my savings to get it up to a good standard to attract renters. I'm going to get a decorator in and let them gut the place. The business has been doing exceptionally well over the last few months and I'd like to continue on how I'm operating to make sure the larger quantities of business continue before I consider opening my own shop. I also decided that I'd like to have a lot more savings in the bank before I do this. By renting Spinner's End and providing business stays as good as it has been, I should be able to look at opening the shop in a few month's time."

Harry nodded, "Severus, I have money I can help with the shop." It was just something Harry had thought of when he'd walked past the unit and seen that it was available but if it was something Severus truly wanted then Harry was more than willing to help make it happen.

Severus simply shook his head. "You are helping. By having me move in you're giving me extra income from the house to save up. If I'm going to do it I'd like to do it with my own money."

"Ok, I think I get that." Harry could understand and appreciate that sense of independence. He always hated having to rely on other people. "I better get started on the spare room if it's going to be a lab."

"I thought I'd pay for the decorator to do the lab here too. Save us the time and to be honest I'm terrible at the home deco charms." Harry smiled, he always had a had time imagining Severus bad at anything. "I'll get them to move my units over from my lab to this one as they are in good condition. Does that sound okay?"

"That sounds more than okay," in all fairness anything that involved Severus getting here, especially if it gets him here sooner, was perfect as far as Harry was concerned. "If you don't already have someone in mind I know a very good decorator," Harry suggested, pulling Severus in for a sideways hug. He was so happy right now.

"Who might that be?" Severus asked, his arm coming around Harry's waist to return the hug.

"Dean Thomas." Harry was sure Severus agreed since he knew the guy and there was no way he would go selling stories to the papers. Harry was also pretty sure he could negotiate a good discount which would help Severus out.

"Ok, contact him and negotiate a quote for the dismantling of my lab to be moved here as well as decorating the entirety of Spinner's End to get it ready for the rental market." Harry was happy with that arrangement. He might be able to even front some of the costs and pass it off as a discount.

Harry was beyond excited about what was in store for them in the future although in the immediate future…"and what do you suggest we do with all that time we're saving on decorating?" flashing what he hoped was a suggestive smirk. 

Severus raised an eyebrow. "I can think of a few suggestions."

That was all the warning Harry got before Severus snogged him senseless. Yes, he was definitely looking forward to living with the man. He was sure it would be a bit of an adjustment for both of them but Harry vowed to do his utmost to make it work.


	11. November

November. 

Living with Severus turned out not to be as bad as Harry feared. Things hadn't changed too much to start with as Severus was still having to floo to Spinner's End to brew but the spare room had been converted by the beginning of November and Harry was happy to know that Severus would be around regardless of what shift he worked. The work on Spinner's End had taken a little longer but was due to be completed by the middle of the month which Harry was grateful for. He could see how anxious Severus was getting and was looking forward to when they could get tenants in and Severus could feel financially secure again.

He knew money was a bit of an issue for the man as shopping was one of the main causes of arguments between them. Severus couldn't understand why Harry would 'waste' money on pre-made sauces and ready meals. The problem was Harry had gotten into the habit of having a variety of options available: too often he'd planned a big meal like a roast only to get stuck at work because someone had called in sick and ended up eating crisps and chocolate because he couldn't face cooking a big meal at 9pm having just worked an 18 hour shift. Obviously things were different now and Severus was picking up a lot of the slack around the house but Harry still liked to be prepared; he'd been caught out one too many times when his shifts had been changed last minute so he hadn't had a chance to get to the shops and come home at midnight to realise he was out of loo roll.

It was on one of their shopping trips that Harry got a shock. Severus had popped to Gringotts to do his banking and Harry had gone to Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes to catch up with Ron and George, only to run into Oliver Wood. Apparently the man had still been trying to get back with Harry despite the fact that Harry was quite obviously with Severus.

"You've been ignoring me Harry," Oliver said as soon as Harry entered the shop.

Ron mouthed 'sorry' to him, apparently Oliver had been here for some time already, and Harry shrugged. He was sure his friend had tried his best but it was high time Wood got the message. "I told you before Oliver, we're through, I'm not interested in getting back together, I don't know why you're still trying."

"But you haven't let me explain."

"You were pictured kissing someone else, it made the front page of the Prophet. I really don't think I need to know anything else."

"Just listen!" Oliver shouted, causing several of the patrons to look their way. Harry really didn't want to end up on the front page again so he pulled Oliver to the back of the shop, away from prying eyes.

"I've been trying to owl you for months but they keep getting returned," Oliver continued once Harry had stopped dragging him along.

"Surely that should have been a sign," Harry sighed, "I don't know what else I can say or do to get through to you."

"I've changed, just give me another chance." 

"I'm happy Oliver."

"With Snape? Don't make me laugh."

"Honestly Oliver, I'm far happier with him than I ever was with you so please leave me alone and get it through your thick head. I. Don't. Want. To. Get. Back. Together. With. You. Not now, not ever."

"Stop being ridiculous Harry, I know you're just trying to make me jealous to make a point so good job, well done, mission complete. You can stop this farce and come back with me."

"For fucks sake Oliver do you ever listen to anything that anyone says?"

"Of course I do, I wouldn't be much of a team player if I didn't."

"Great, so it's just me you ignore." Harry was past annoyed and well on the way getting to thoroughly pissed off at this point but he couldn't see a way out.

"Of course I don't ignore you Harry, you're my boyfriend, I care about you."

"I'm not your bloody boyfriend Oliver, I'm with Severus and I intend to stay with him for a long time." At that point he noticed Severus heading over and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ah there you are, are you ready to continue with our chores Harry?" Severus asked, completely blanking Oliver. 

"Yes I believe so." Harry stepped towards Severus ready to kiss the man when Oliver reached out and grabbed his sleeve.

"I haven't finished talking to him," Oliver snarled, his face red with rage.

"I've made my feelings clear Oliver." Harry managed to shake himself out of Oliver's grasp only to get caught again when Oliver grabbed him with his other hand.

Severus instantly drew his wand and levelled it at the Quidditch player. "Let him go."

"Oh put your wand away you great dungeon bat this is between me and Harry," sneered Oliver. 

"Come on mate, no need for insults," said Ron, coming from the front of the shop, obviously having been keeping an eye on things. "Listen, I'm going to have to ban you from the shop if you don't calm down and let Harry go."

Oliver finally noticed the eyes of the other patrons on him and let go. It wouldn't do his career any good if he ended up on the front page for causing a scene. "I just want to talk," he all but whispered, lifting his hands up in surrender.

Harry took the opportunity to back away, making sure he was out of arm's reach. "If the returned owls didn't give you a clue Oliver, I don't know what will."

"You haven't given me a chance to explain," Oliver said, taking a step forward. Harry flinched and Oliver clutched his hand to his chest, clearly distressed by Harry's reaction. 

Harry turned to Severus, rolling his eyes at Oliver's dramatics. Honestly, even Malfoy wasn't that bad. "You don't need to explain. You kissed another bloke, got caught, we broke up, and now I'm with Severus." 

Oliver sneered at Severus. "Come on, him? We could have a life together, it was just a kiss."

"Severus and I have a life together. We live together which is more commitment than I ever got from you. Just a kiss - pull the other one. If you were blatant enough to be kissing other blokes outside clubs while on tour don't think I don't know you were taking them back to your hotel."

"We could live together," Oliver suggested. Harry seriously doubted that. He was sure there was more than just the guy outside the club which is why Oliver had such a hard time committing before. It's not like the guy was even denying he was cheating. 

"Oliver you aren't listening. We ended, I moved on with Severus. We have a good life together and I love him. Leave me alone."

With that Harry stormed out the shop incredibly flustered. He hadn't meant to do that, to confess his feelings for Severus for the first time while having an argument with his ex. He just hoped Severus wouldn't be too upset or think he was just saying it to get at Oliver. Don't get him wrong he would definitely be happy if it finally got the message through to Oliver and it wasn't like it wasn't true: Harry had realised his feelings in this last month while they'd been living together. He loved every day he spent with Severus and he hoped the man would always be with him. He just really hoped he hadn't gone and messed things up. 

Leaning against a nearby wall he waited for Severus to catch up with him.

"Fancy aparating home and just getting a takeaway tonight?" he asked as the man came round the corner. Harry knew the main reason they'd come to town was to stock up as the cupboards were starting to get bare but he really didn't feel like shopping after that confrontation with Oliver. Severus didn't e even bother to answer, simply taking Harry's arm and sidelong aparating them home, pulling out an anti-sickness potion for Harry as soon as they'd landed. 

Harry was just about to thank Severus for always being there for him when the man grabbed his face pulling him in for a passionate kiss. Harry lost himself in it, responding in kind as they manoeuvred to the sofa. Harry had barely felt the sofa behind him when Severus pushed him down onto it, climbing on top of Harry as he did, never once breaking the kiss.

Harry felt Severus undoing his belt and, getting the idea of what the man had in mind, started returning the favour. There was a fair amount of fumbling as trousers were removed and Harry was just about to start taking off Severus's shirt when the man stopped him, placing them above his head.

"There's time for that later, for now I just need to be inside you."

Harry could only nod as he let Severus continue, fully understanding the man's need. 

Their coupling was frantic but no less enjoyable, leaving them both breathless, Harry comfortably lying on Severus's chest as he recovered.

He felt Severus lift his head so he could look in Harry's eyes. "You love me?"

Harry groaned, he'd hoped Severus would have forgotten although he really should have known better by now: the man was nothing if not tenacious. "I was hoping to be a little bit more romantic about telling you but we can't have everything can we? Besides I would have thought it was pretty obvious. I don't just ask anyone to move in with me you know."

Severus muttered something about stupid Gryffindors while letting Harry's head drop back onto his chest. "I think it only fair to let you know the sentiment is returned."

Harry snorted with laughter at the utterly Severus-like declaration. "You Slytherins are terribly romantic aren't you." He knew he sounded sarcastic but he honestly found it charming.

"I think you'll find us Slytherins love just as fiercely as you Gryffindors," he said, stroking Harry's hair.

"I shall count on it," Harry replied, dropping a kiss to his chest. "So...how do you feel about Christmas at the Burrow." He couldn't wait to let his ersatz family know about this new development.

"I feel like you shouldn't push your post-coitus luck Mr Potter."

"Guess I'll just have to try harder later," Harry said with a wink, causing Severus to groan. The man might put up a fight but Harry knew he'd win eventually, Severus did love him after all, and didn't that make life wonderful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas one and all hope you've had a great time and ate staying safe. Can't believe I'm almost done already thank you so much for all your support, kudos and comments are always greatly appreciated.


	12. December

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having to work on Christmas day forces Harry to change his plans but could something better be on the horizon?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait in update, I don't think my muse likes to end things.

December.

Harry was bitterly depressed. He'd been thoroughly looking forward to spending Christmas with his whole family, including Severus, since he'd worked Christmas last year. Obviously that had ended up being a bit of a godsend with Oliver being a twat. It was actually a bit of a relief, only getting in the evening and was able to avoid a lot of the awkward looks and well meaning but otherwise useless words of advice. Harry had been able to pick up his reheated meal and ensconce himself in a corner claiming a hard day as why he was quiet. This year, however, he had to celebrate so it had come as a major blow to get told he had to work.

"How come Tremblay isn't working this year, surely it's her turn?"

"Don't be selfish, Potter!" Violet Rosier admonished, "Clarrise has just got engaged so of course she should be able to spend the day with her family."

"I've just moved in with Severus and I worked last year, surely that's enough reason to have it off."

"Moving in is hardly a sign of commitment. Anyway if your partner will be home anyway I hardly see how it makes any difference, you can just have your dinner later. Now stop complaining. I'm already stepping up and working the night shift so suck it up!"

That was the end of that discussion and Harry didn't get the chance to say that he'd rather work the night as he could grab a couple of hours sleep and still have time to see everyone. As it was it wouldn't be finished until really late and he didn't want to make everyone wait around for him again.

He tried to put on a brave face and tell Severus it didn't matter, that it was just another day, but he was pretty sure Severus saw straight through him although he didn't say anything.

Harry continued each day and Severus seemed to get really into his brewing, frequently going off into his lab or drifting into pensive moments where he was clearly thinking about something. Harry decided to ask Molly to send over leftovers so Severus wouldn't have to worry about cooking for them but Harry would still know he had a Christmas dinner to come home to. Molly said she was more than happy to help especially as it would be such an effort for just the two of them xo at least that was a weight off Harry's mind.

It had been hard, for Harry, to get out of bed and drag himself in on Christmas day and it didn't exactly get any easier. There were always fewer staff working over the holidays which meant that people were often called to help out in different departments if there was a lull in theirs. The upside was it kept Harry busy; unfortunately he had a hard time dealing with some of the idiocy he was faced with. Throughout the day he had to deal with 5 cases of object removal from apparent summoning mishaps though how you can accidentally summon something into your anus without being at least partially underdressed Harry wasn't sure. As well as those cases there were also 4 curing boils, 3 poisonings, 2 creature bites and a rather nasty case of splinching. Harry found himself struggling to feel sympathy, especially for the alcohol induced cases, and knew his smile looked fake but he couldn't bring himself to care. 

The one upside of the day had come when Mr Rainford, the hospital director, had called him in for a meeting with the rest of the board of directors. It turned out that his hard work had been recognised and he was being asked to head up the children's outpatients department. Harry hadn't even realised the position was available and the vindictive part of him couldn't wait to see the look on Tremblay's face when she found out, especially given that she was technically his senior. It was a huge honour and a big responsibility but it should mean he'd get to spend more time with Severus.

Speaking of, the man's own efforts were being rewarded as well. St Mungo's was offering him a consulting contract and Harry couldn't wait to get home and tell him the good news.

The work didn't let up though and Harry was practically dead on his feet when he could finally apparate home, glad at the improvements Severus had made in his travel sickness potion which meant Harry didn't have to worry about waiting for the floo.

"Hard day?" Severus asked as Harry made his way into the living room, grateful for the hug he received in greeting. 

Harry felt he barely had the energy to nod until he saw the dining table. "You set the table?" He honestly only expected to eat on the sofa after the meals had been reheated. It was nice to think that someone cared enough to go to that effort for him. Not that Harry would care who'd actually done it, the act alone was enough to warm his heart.

"Molly did," admitted Severus, giving Harry a light peck on the lips. "Shall I pour you a glass of wine?"

Harry nodded enthusiastically as Severus led him to the table. He didn't know which patients had been worse; the ones who seemed to expect immediate service as if they were in some 5 star hotel or the overly jolly ones who told him "cheer up it's Christmas". Honestly, Harry would like to see how happy they were working a 12 hour shift while everyone else was enjoying themselves. At least it was over now and he was home, with Severus and a lovely bottle of wine.

"Merry Christmas Harry," Severus toasted, once he'd sat himself at the table.

"Merry Christmas Severus," Harry replied, smiling. "I do have some news though."

"Oh."

"Hmm, one of the directors came to see me today. They want me to head up the children's outpatients department. I mean it's a big decision as it's an actual department to manage, I'd be required to do some travelling as well to visit the children in school but under my treatment plans, but it does mean no more weekends or nights." Now that he was here Harry wasn't actually sure how Severus would react to him having been given such a promotion, especially at his age. 

He shouldn't have worried, however as Severus simply reached across the table to take his hand. "I think they made a great choice," he said sincerely and Harry could only smile back, sure relief was evident on his face. "Will you be working with the children that were affected by the virus?" 

"Yes, which leads me on to the next bit. They asked me to approach you about becoming a sort of contract researcher. We'd be required to work together on the difficult cases that might crop up." Harry wasn't sure how Severus would take that news so he fished out the contract hoping that would sweeten the deal. He watched nervously as Severus read over the contents of the letter, barely restraining himself from fidgeting. When Severus had finished he simply looked at Harry questioningly. "Well?" Harry prompted, beyond curious now.

"It's actually a terribly generous offer. It would not take too much of my time away from my business but would be quite lucrative." 

He passed Harry the letter to peruse and Harry had to agree with his assessment. 5000 galleons for every new potion Severus invented and 2000 for each potion he improved as well as the ability to work from home. Quite frankly Harry was couldn't have come up with a better deal himself and was happy that his partner's skills were finally being recognised. The fact that it meant he got to work closely with Severus again was just an added bonus. "You're going to accept right?"

Severus nodded and smirked. "How could I turn down the opportunity to work with you?" 

Harry grinned, that had been the only thing he'd been worrying about. Summoning a bottle from the fridge he announced "let's open the champagne!" After all it was certainly a reason to celebrate. "Oh, and then the presents." Couldn't forget Harry's favourite part. It may seem a little childish and selfish but Harry loved receiving gifts, likely due to being deprived so much as a child. It's not that he cared what he got just that someone thought enough of him to give him something.

Severus, however, just handed over an envelope. "This one. We can open the rest tomorrow."

Harry pouted a bit but accepted. It was late and he'd had a long day, the rest could wait a bit. Taking the envelope he carefully opened it and looked at the card inside. It was a picture of the hotel Harry had looked at before with a note saying they would be spending two nights there. "Really?" 

"Yes, in two weeks." Harry grinned; trust Severus to have checked Harry's schedule to know when he was free. He genuinely couldn't believe how lucky he was to have such a thoughtful boyfriend and leaped across the table to give the man a hug.

"It's perfect." A bit of travelling and 2 nights of Severus in a hotel, what more could Harry want.

"I'm glad you approve," Severus said and gave him a kiss. "Now I think its time we go upstairs."

"I concur." Harry couldn't suppress his giggled as Severus lifted him up off his lap and carried him upstairs. He was looking forward to showing Severus just how much he appreciated his gift.

*

Harry had been exhausted after a long shift followed by some very fun but very energetic night time activities and wasn't surprised that he slept in the next day although he was surprised to receive breakfast in bed. Severus had truly outdone himself and Harry was starting to wonder what he'd done to deserve such a wonderful man.

"Sorry for sleeping in," Harry said with a yawn, "you didn't have to go through all this trouble."

"It's no trouble at all, Harry, you deserve a treat after working so hard yesterday."

Severus kissed him, proceeding to feed him a strawberry, and Harry took great care to lick all the juices from his fingers. They continued to feed each other breakfast, slowly moving closer to each other as their actions became more suggestive.

By the time they'd finished the meal Harry was practically on top of Severus. "I love you," he said, hoping to convey to the man beneath him just how important he was to Harry.

Severus's only response was to kiss him soundly and, given the tension that had been building through breakfast, it wasn't surprising that a repeat performance of the night before occurred. Apparently Severus wanted to show him exactly what their trip would entail.

Severus encouraged him to take his time washing and dressing, even laying out his good robes for him. Harry was a little confused, a feeling that only increased as Severus led him downstairs and he saw a fully laid up dining table complete with a veritable feast.

"What's all this?" Harry asked, walking up to the table to get a better look.

"Christmas lunch. What does it look like?" 

"For who?" There was far too much food here for just the two of them. At that moment the floo activation alert went off and shortly after Ron and Hermione appeared wearing their Weasley Christmas jumpers. 

"Merry Christmas!" they chorused as Harry dived over, enveloping them in a hug.

"I don't get what's going on," Harry said to them.

Hermione didn't bother replying, simply walking up to Severus and patting his shoulder. "You've done an amazing job."

Harry was in shock as he followed her. "You made all this?" Severus only raised an eyebrow as if to say 'of course, who else?' and he was right. Who else would think to give Harry his perfect Christmas as a surprise. "You. Are. Amazing." He planted a sloppy kiss on the man's cheek. It was poor compensation for everything Severus had done but he hoped it conveyed at least a fraction of his gratitude.

Things only got better as the rest of the Weasleys clan slowly arrived and Harry had to wonder why Severus would voluntarily subject himself to a day with every Weasley when he was under the impression the man barely tolerated half of them.

Lunch was unsurprisingly perfect and Severus's cooking earned him many compliments, even Molly was impressed saying she was glad she didn't have to worry about Harry eating properly now. Things didn't stop there with games afterwards and Severus even cracked a slight smile causing George to pretend to faint in shock. All in all it was the best day and Harry couldn't help but think he didn't want things to end. Not the day with his adopted family, they were too much to deal with for prolonged periods of time. No, Harry was thinking about his relationship with Severus. Living together had gone a lot better than Harry had expected, sure they bickered from time to time but it was never anything serious and they'd quickly developed a good routine.

Maybe Violet was right though, just living together without any further commitment did seem like a cop out, a job half done. It was a feeling that only grew as the evening wore on and their numbers dwindled. So it was, when only the two of them were left, Harry made a decision, grabbing the last opened bottle to pour himself another fortifying glass.

"I hope you've got a good hangover draught in your stores, I'm determined to finish that bottle of fizz before we go to bed."

They were cuddled up outside on the garden bed, blankets and warming charms protecting them against the chill. It was their favourite place even if the light pollution in the city prevented you from seeing all but the brightest stars, even on a clear night like this.

"We could take the fizz up to bed with up to bed with us," Severus waggled his eyebrows suggestively and, as tempted as Harry was, he was determined to see this through.

"I'll fall asleep if we get into our bed I'm sure of it." He snuggled closer to Severus, hoping the man wouldn't feel rejected. "Thank you for today. You don't know how much this has meant to me."

"It was my pleasure." Harry doubted that although the man hadn't seemed to hate the day it certainly couldn't have been top of his to do list and that only confirmed to Harry how lucky he was to have this man in his life.

"I love you. I really really really love you." Harry pressed a kiss into Severus's neck, knowing the words barely scratched the surface.

Severus pulled his head up. "You, Harry Potter, are the best thing that's ever happened to me. I hope you know that."

Severus had taken the words right out of Harry's mouth so all he could do was try and get them back, crushing their lips together in a deep kiss. When they finally came up for air Harry knew for sure he'd made the right decision.

"Listen, I've been thinking about something over the last month. I think we are really great together; living with you here has reaffirmed that feeling. What do you think about marriage?" 

"As in you and I?" 

"Well I'm not talking about you and Mr Weasley," Harry said with a laugh. He brought his hand up to Severus's cheek so he could look straight in his eyes. "Of course I mean you and I."

"You are drunk."

"I still mean it."

"You are crazy."

"I'm really not."

"You are… serious?"

"Deadly."

Severus didn't say anything else and Harry pulled back, guarding himself against rejection but still holding Severus's hand, hoping. The silence extended and Harry couldn't help but worry. "Well what do you think?" 

"About marriage?" Harry nodded. "I think it's a sacred union in which two people who are very much in love, might enter into."

Harry laughed, who'd have thought it would be Severus cracking a joke at a time like this. "No, you pillock, what do you think about us - getting married."

Severus smiled. "I think that sounds wonderful."

Harry's heart skipped and he moved closer, wanting to be sure he heard right. "Is that a yes?" 

"It's a yes."

Harry barely let Severus finish before he was diving on top of him again, barely believing his luck.

To think that this time last year he had been thoroughly depressed, struggling to see how things could improve in either his work or love life. How much can change in a year! Now he basically had the job and man of his dreams. Sure there had been some bumps along the way but look at what he had managed to achieve and all thanks to a chance meeting in a supermarket. He only wondered how next year could possibly improve on this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes! Finally finished it. My first completed multi chapter fic. Hopefully a good sign for the year to come.
> 
> Thank you for all you support through this, you truly helped to make it a joy to write.


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